Far Away
by kangaroos
Summary: The fiction is based on when Alex first came in S3. Pre Palex.  Trying to follow the Degrassi storyline so it shouldn’t be too confusing. Alexcentric. sorta pre  palex Warning Rape reference chap 30&34.
1. Chapter 1: Lectures

_**Title: Far Away **_

_**Lead characters: **__**Alex / Paige **_

_**Warning: Pre-Palex  
**_

_**Summary/Preface: **__my objective is to basically show how Paige and Alex were before they fell for each other. That has been a topic of much speculation and I have my own views about it. The fiction is based on when Alex first came into the picture, which would be S3, so the relationship isn't the start of the fiction. I'm trying to follow the story line of actual Degrassi so it shouldn't be too confusing. So basically I'm going to take an original scene and improvise it._

_**Rating: **__PG-13 / K+ and I'll make sure it stays that way._

_**Tools: **__Microsoft Word.  
I will try to proof read but I apologize for any remaining ones in advance._

_**Author's Note:**__ This is my first fan fiction so please try to be courteous. All opinions will be heard but in the end I'll do what I think is best for my story, you know being the leader of the ship and all. I might later change things around to make it flow better. _

_Thanks to coco and Palexiot for all their help.  
I know the initial chapters might be a little boring as I try to establish the basics so bear with me, and leave a pm if u like or don't like... anyway...here goes...enjoy._

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own Degrassi or any of its characters, except my views which I have tried to portray in this story, so don't sue me._

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _

**Chapter 1: Lectures**

_I was politely being asked to leave Lakehurst High_.

_The principal had enough of my 'attitude' so he was now 'requesting' me to transfer to another school, for my own good. He said it was because_ of "… the _fire crackers incidence_… and we feel that we have tried our best… but are still unable to help you with your _constant unpunctuality _for showing up for classes and your_ lack of compliance to the disciplinary actions taken_..."

_It seemed to me that he always tried to churn out big words so his students won't be able to quote him ever_

_I thought as I sat there in this little cubicle of a room listening to this never ending banter of, my principal … sorry my soon to be ex-principal, Mr. Hastings._

_It was amazing how he used the word 'request', like he was honoring me with an award or something… _

_It disgusts me how people choose these 'hypocritical words' They say one thing when actually mean something totally differentThis is what the world has come down to and we are just expected to ignore it and move on with our lives_

_But not 'Alex Nunez'_

_I wasn't gonna ignore it…  
I had a problem with it, a serious problem with this…'Hypocritical and Smugly attitude of this world',But this wasn't the time to correct him, not at this timeThere really wasn't a point in making him angry  
I could see that he was trying very hard to be patient with me,_

_I was gonna give him credit for that much  
…and appreciate this gesture by keeping my mouth shut.'_

_Okay so there was this certain 'incidence' last week, of someone putting some fire crackers in one of the student's car, which started 'cracking' just as he turned on the engine. _

_It was hilarious _

_I, of course, wasn't going to defend myself as it could turn the suspicion into a confession…the less said, the better_

"So you can come down in a couple of days and collect your transcripts... we will forward all other documents directly to Degrassi... Alex? ... Are you listening? …  
You okay?" _His inquiry brought me back to reality._

_I realized that this whole time I was just staring at the desk in front of me as if it were the most intriguing piece of furniture I had ever seen; when in fact, it wasn't.  
I had seen this desk many times before._

_It was 'old, scratched and completely filled with useless stationary', which 'Mr. Hastings' had probably never used._

_I was pretty much a regular here but today my presence was for a much unexpected reason._

"Yes" _I said. _

_I stuck to my 'monosyllabic answer' which I believed gave me an edge on situations … Something I'd learned back in junior high_

_I was listening to him while trying hard not to let out any emotions. _

_I felt crappy but there was no point in telling him that, it was only going to make 'the smug' happy. … 'Said my inner squeaky voice'_

"Listen Alex, I want you to know that this is for your own good.You have potential …, you work hard … and it's just the company that you've been associating yourself with that you're lacking behind in your classes."

_He paused for a bit to see my reaction then continued fumbling thru my files and course transfer papers._

"…You know this can actually turn out to be a good thing, you changing school and all…, starting fresh…, 'making new friends'…"

_'Is this 'smug' suggesting that making new friends will be a good thing?  
Is he crazy?  
Has he ever met a 'Teenager'?  
He's the principal of a high school, for crying out loud,  
Does he not know how hard it is to make new friends?'_

_Like it wasn't hard the first time adjusting to Lakehurst  
Now I was supposed to Re-adjust to another school?_

_This whole situation was an inconvenience to me  
This conversation was running more like a Monologue  
It was so very typical of teachers.  
He did the talking, and I, the listening  
'He' definitely needed a lecture on 'communication'_

**---------------------------------------------------TBC**

**To be continued...  
So as I said earlier, let me know if u like or don't like,  
If there's any hope, I'll try to improve it as much as I can.  
Thanks for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2: Communiqué

**hope you'll review... **

**Disclaimer: i dont own degrassi, just this fic.**

**-------------------------------------------------------------- **

**  
Chapter 2: Communiqué**

_Lakehurst was walking distance from my house, moving to another school meant more walking and getting even more late…  
Well, there was always the option of TTC Toronto Transit Commission) but then 'that' was going to take a toll on my 'piggy bank'.  
_

_ I liked going to school;  
I had nothing against the teachers either_  
…_well except when they pretend that they really care about you when in fact they couldn't possibly…  
I'm pretty sure, half the time; they don't even understand any of our problems._

_  
My problem, for example …  
There was nothing difficult about it…  
But did Mr. Hastings understand any of it?_

_  
Unlike popular belief of me skipping school all the time, I was usually just late for my morning classes  
I worked late shifts  
And just couldn't wake up early the next mornings._

_  
Because of this simple reason, I had accumulated a few detentions that I never bothered to show up for, again, because of work…  
Well that and some other 'activities' that I got involved in to keep me 'entertained'_

_  
I get that the fact that I have to finish high school because it's important for me to do so  
Learning is important to me  
I know I'm smart  
Definitely smarter than most at Lakehurst anyway…_

_  
It's not like I'm a bad student but I don't get how doing homework, can help me.  
I have other things to worry about than doing some homework …_  
'_things' that are really important in life like helping out my mom in paying the rent, and getting some extra cash from wherever I can, so we can have one square meal a day..._

_  
It had been hard on my mom… unlike I, she dropped out when she was in the 9__th__ grade… but somehow still managed to raise me up the way that she did…  
If nothing else, finishing high school will help me make better choices in life than my mother has…  
I'm not criticizing my mom, she has had it tough and it didn't help that she made some wrong choices along the way.  
I may not agree with her on a lot of issues, her choice of boyfriends being the top of the hit-list, but I still respect her and care for her._

_  
We're not perfect, but I don't think anyone is  
Our situation is different than most  
It's just me and my mom and we have to look out for one another  
That's how it is  
And doing some homework isn't going to help our situation at all  
Though a job would…_

_  
I've been working at the movie concession stand in the mall.  
Unlike most kids my age, I work to support my family, so I take as many shifts as I can. I've been working there for about a year now and the manager trusts me.  
With this, I get the advantage of switching around my shifts and adding more whenever someone doesn't show up which is pretty cool...  
So things are running pretty smooth on the job front...  
I am proud of myself for landing this job_

_  
But today, during my homeroom class,  
I got called in to see the principal only to be informed that due to my coming late to school these past few months, a list of overdue detentions, and the 'fire cracker incidence', I was being asked to transfer to another school._

_  
I guess suspension wasn't an option as they probably figured that it will be just another excuse for me to quit school_

_  
I'm offended at this 'judgmental assumption'_

_  
But still asking me to leave Lakehurst, how was this going to help the matter?_

_  
Apparently, this is another one of those 'hypocritical' situations where problems are shoved under the other school's rug instead of being solved._

_  
Mr. Hastings didn't know if I was going to go to this other school or not,  
So as far as he knew, I might never go there and actually lose the only chance of getting an education? _

_Clever, real clever…_

…_okay that was pretty melodramatic for me… I get like that something when I'm angry…_

_  
There was no point in telling Mr. Hastings or making him understand that those firecrackers weren't entirely my fault and the coming late situation was directly related to my work.  
I knew he wasn't going to understand it.  
I think it was pretty late for me to make him understand anyway,  
He had already given up on me._

_  
He was the authority here and if there's one thing I'd learned …_  
… _It was to not waste my energy where nothing was going to come out of it._

_  
There's a lesson here that life has just taught me, __**'next time, don't get caught'**_

_  
As Mr. Hastings' Monologue was already over, I casually picked myself up from the chair, grabbed my backpack and put it on my shoulder, took the headphones from my neck and put them onto my ears and headed outside._

**----------------------------------------------------------TBC**_  
_

**please review. I appreciate it. **


	3. Chapter 3: Safe Haven

**so still not reviewing eh??  
well, here's another update for u, to increase the pace..  
pretty small chapter, but thought i had to add this...  
hope you'll review...  
enjoy...  
Disclaimer: i don't own degrassi or any of its characters, just this fic.**

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Chapter 3: Safe Haven**  
_I took slow steps to home, I was in no hurry today…  
There was still plenty of time before my shift started.  
I thought about how I was going to deliver the news to my mom  
Omitting the 'details' was definitely the 'way to go' about this_

_  
My mom wasn't a cool-aid mom but she did the best she could.  
She loved me, although she rarely said it.  
She didn't understand me much but she wanted to… and that was enough for me.  
I knew already that when she'll hear that I'm getting transferred out of Lakehurst, she might get disappointed but she still won't show it.  
We were beyond that point in our relationship where we needed to express our every feeling and emotion to each other.  
I never explained myself to her and she never confronted me.  
That's how it was with us, and neither of us thought of rocking the boat now._

_  
My mom had taken the news exactly the way that I'd thought she would.  
No judgments and no questions asked._

_  
My work shift used to start at 6 and ended around midnight.  
I was mostly in charge of closing up the counters which took another half an hour.  
Mall wasn't too far from my house and having grown up in this neighborhood, it gave me an extra bit of confidence walking on the streets in the night.  
Besides downtown streets were always lively even into the wee hours of night and as dangerous as they might be, still provided me with a sense of security._

_  
That night, when I came home from work, it was already 1 a.m. and I was tired of the long day.  
My mom was asleep on the couch with the TV on.  
Looking at a few cans of beer, I figured out that she had drunk herself to sleep.  
I turned the TV off and headed to bed myself._

_----------------------------------------------------------------_**TBC**

**please review, it'll make me happy.  
thanks for reading **


	4. Chapter 4: Traits

**small chapter, but thought I had to add this...  
hope you'll review...  
enjoy...  
Disclaimer: I don't own degrassi or any of its characters, just this fic.  
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**  
Chapter 4: Traits**

_The next morning I woke up at 10 a.m._

**'**_**Hey, No school today',** I sarcastically thought to myself as I got out of bed and went into the living room._

_  
I turned on the TV and just started surfing the few channels that our antenna received._

_  
Mom was probably at the cookie factory for an early shift which meant she was due back in the afternoon._

_  
Last night I admitted it to my mom that getting kicked out of Lakehurst may have been my fault.  
There are not many people on this planet to who 'Alex Nunez' admits her mistakes but my mom definitely was one of them._

_  
She said the only thing that she could say, **"don't worry Lex, you'll be fine."**_

_Her confidence brought a smile to my face._

_  
As cynical as I may be, but listening to her sometimes gave me hope too.  
I guess that's what had got her thru tough times._

_  
My mom was an optimist,  
I wondered sometimes if as a daughter, I had any of her traits…  
I knew optimism wasn't one of them  
I didn't want it to be_

_  
Her optimism had gotten her in trouble several times.  
I don't know why but she trusted people easily.  
I could never be like that.  
I knew better than that._

_  
I was raised up differently…  
Not by my mom, but by myself.  
And in cases like mine, you tend to learn how to protect yourself.  
You make a shell around yourself.  
You hide yourself inside it so that no one can reach you.  
Because if they do, they will see the real you…  
The scared and vulnerable you…_

_  
I was an only child.  
My mom had me when she was 16.  
Some say that she looks like my older sister.  
I never knew my father._

_  
I think even my mom, barely knew him.  
It didn't matter, he wasn't part of our lives, and we didn't miss him either.  
It was as simple as that.  
It had to be kept simple.  
Our lives were pretty full without the drama._

_  
----------------------------------------------------------------_**TBC**

**  
Please review, it'll make me happy.  
Thanks for reading **


	5. Chapter 5: Cookies

**hope you'll review...  
enjoy...  
Disclaimer: I don't own degrassi or any of its characters, just this fic.**

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Chapter 5: Cookies**

_It was only a few years ago when my mom got a steady job and then I also started working and helping her out with our finances that we were able to leave the life of a shelter._

_  
Yes, I was raised in shelters._

_That's the life we had led but now things were better, much better._

_We had an apartment which was although in a bad neighborhood, was still a place we could call home. _

_It was safe._

_  
And here we had a few things we had collected over time._

_It wasn't much but it was enough._

_It was better._

_It is better._

_  
I heard a key in the door lock turning,_

_It was my mom who was back from work._

"Hi, Mom", _I said_

"Hi, Lexy, whatch ya doin?" _she asked_

"Nothing, just sitting" _I thought that was obvious_

"Do you mind if I sit with you?"

_She asked coming towards our orange colored couch that we got from the thrift store._

"No" _I stuck to my monosyllabic replies_

"So…" _she said sitting beside me_

"So nothing, Mom

"I've been thinking of talking to you about something for a while", _She took a moment before she started talking_

"What?" _I asked_

"Are you in a bad mood, Lexy?"

_Another Question with an obvious Answer_

"No Mom, what were you gonna talk about?"

_I replied toning down my attitude a bit, It was better to hear what she had to say..._

"Well, there's this guy I've been seeing, and he is very interesting

"Ok" _Here we go again_

"Well, there's more than that…, he really likes me

"Ok" mom_ and her optimism_

"And he wants to take it further

"Really?" _I couldn't control my sarcasm._

"And I think that there can be_ more_ to it then just casual stuff…"

"How long you've been dating mom?" _It came out sounding ruder than I wanted it to…_

"A couple of weeks" _she replied_

"So what's the deal?"

"Well he's in between jobs and is having some trouble, so he wants to move in with me…us…" _I could see her apprehension now_

"So what did you say?" _I inquired softly_

"I said, yes.

"Mommmm"_ Just what we need… a deadbeat guy in our lives to complete our dim-witted family._

_----------------------------------------------------------------_**TBC**

**Please review, it'll make me happy.  
Thanks for reading **


	6. Chapter 6: Borders and Boundaries

** Author's Note: just thought I should add before i start Alex's journey into Degrassi...  
I always thought that she was a good student just never applied herself...  
so adding this chapter.**  
** enjoy...  
Disclaimer: I don't own degrassi or any of its characters, just this fic.**

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Chapter 6: Borders and Boundaries**

_I'd never admit it but school had given structure to my life without me having to do it myself._  
'_It' served as a place where I could vent myself.  
Be the kid I never got to be._

_  
And now  
I was given a distasteful task of going to another school,  
Adjusting to it,  
Making new friends…  
The events of yesterday were fresh in my mind…_

_  
I felt like I was sent back in time...  
2 and half years…Had it been that long, since I was going to Lakehurst High School?  
_

_ Yes, and I had nothing to show for it…  
_

_ Well, there were the transcripts to show that I had studied there which I yet had to pick up from 'the office',  
_

_ But besides that, what else did I have to show for this long era of my life that I had spent and Lakehurst?  
_

_ For 2 and half years, I had floated the halls of Lakehurst high like a non-existent ghost.  
_

_ I'm pretty sure, had I asked anyone in the school if they knew me, they would have surely said, 'NO'.  
And now I was supposed to leave this limited association that I had with this place.  
_

_ It almost reminded me of the times when me and my mom had to move to a new shelter and how insecure it used to make me feel.  
_

_ It made me sad  
It made me angry._

_  
It's always hard to break old boundaries  
Boundaries we create to help ourselves  
But just may be, they have to be broken  
To open new doors  
To allow better things to come in_

_  
And may be like mom said, "__**I'll be fine**__"_

_  
I should try saying this a few times and may be then I'll start believing in it…_

_  
Let's be realistic here,_  
"_I probably won't be fine"  
But what's the worst that can happen?_

_  
Tomorrow I will go to 'the office' of Lakehurst High to get my transcripts and will check out this new school._

_----------------------------------------------------------------_**TBC**

**okay, so i know i've bored you guys to death with the first 6 chapters...  
I just thought they made a good back drop for things to come...**

**  
but I promise next chapter is definitely a degrassi chapter...  
i've already started writing it and hope to post it in a couple of days****  
**

**Please review, it'll make me happy.  
Thanks for reading **


	7. Chapter 7: Degrassi

**Thanks for all those who reviewed... i appreciate it,**

**And if you want to suggest something, go right ahead..**

**Tell me where I'm bad so I can improve **

**  
Ok, so finally, Alex is at Degrassi... as I had promised  
I know it has been much awaited… so enjoy...  
Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi or any of its characters, just this fic.**

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Chapter 7: Degrassi**

_I woke up early this morning  
It was my first day at the new school… at Degrassi  
And it deserved to start with a good impression  
I never actually tried to ruin first impressions;  
I was just unlucky in these matters  
Today was the same, I had no clue how it was gonna go_

_The secretary at the Lakehurst High's office had mentioned that Degrassi High was a highly sought after school and that it'll be good for me._

_Degrassi was an impressive orange brown colored building with some baby blue and yellow around the windows to represent the school colors.  
As I climbed up the stairs, I noticed the sign on the main entrance that said, in bold letters, 'DEGRASSI COMMUNITY SCHOOL'._

_Degrassi looked upscale for a public school.  
Like any other school, there were kids coming in and out, all wearing clothes like they'd been bought from the Mall that I worked at, obsessing about things that could only matter to them._

_I, in my white tank top, my favorite dark grey pants and brown workman's shoes walked into the school into the main hallway…_

_As I was wondering where the office might be, I saw a girl in, mostly, black clothing and red hair in braids …  
It seemed like she was waiting for someone…_

_I figured that it'd be easy to ask her way to the office…  
So I went and stood in front of her  
She looked at me curiously as if trying to recognize me…_

_I asked bluntly, "_hey … do u know the way to the office?_"_

"Yeah… to the right… down the hall_" she replied impassively._

_I gave her a nod of thanks and continued in the direction she had mentioned,  
The office was right where she said it'd be,  
Typically bright and clean  
I went to the secretary and gave her my name._

"Alex Nunez! Yes you have an appointment with our guidance councilor … could you take a seat there, and Ms. Sauvé will be with you shortly."

_I had only waited for a few minutes in the office as I saw a teacher come towards me.  
Ms. Sauvé seemed like a nice lady with a relatively short stature,  
She looked serene and her hair was tied behind in a bun._

_She greeted me eagerly and welcomed me to the school._

"Today we're having a basketball game and so our team 'Panthers' along with a lot of our students will be going there during the lunch hour to support the team…  
You are more than welcome to join them as it is a half-day today."

"I'll think about it" _I replied_

_She informed me that my papers from Lakehurst have already been received and that my time table will be printed for me as soon as I confirm the courses that I'm taking._

"you have to take the compulsory courses to get the credits for this year like English, math, media immersion, chemistry, history and gym etc. but you do have a few choices among the non-compulsory courses… so I'm going to ask you if you're interested in any of these.." _She said, giving me a list of choices …_

_I chose 'shop' and 'drama' from the given list._

_After getting my timetable,  
A letter stating my transfer to Degrassi  
And a yellow school map, _

_She directed me to my homeroom with Ms. __Hatzilakos.  
Later I was going to have chemistry and gym with Ms. Hatzilakos…_  
…_But my first class was English…_

_----------------------------------------------------------------_**TBC**

**so as you may have recognized, i sorta introduced someone here whose name i didn't say... but you may have recognized her... surprise surprise... she's actually the first person Alex met at my fictional Degrassi...**

**Please review, it'll make me happy.  
and no reviews will cause me to go back to another 6 chapters of non-Degrassi hiatus... u decide**


	8. Chapter 8: Announcements

**Ok so let's progress to Degrassi and characters will be introduced as they're needed…  
this chapter is dedicated to **anhey20

**Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi or any of its characters, just this fic.**

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Chapter 8: Announcements**__

I went to the homeroom and showed my paper to the teacher sitting at the desk.  
Her name was Hatzilakos…  
Funny name…  
Kids here probably have a field day with her name…  
I could think of at least 10 jokes in just that instant…

"Alex, I guess I'll be seeing a lot of you this year… you're in 2 of my classes…"_  
She said noticing my schedule for the year._

"Yeah, Ms. Sauvé mentioned that."_  
Still haven't' decided if that's a good or a bad thing;  
May not be too good for her though…_

"I think we have an empty chair right over there"__

Ms. Hat-Zil-Ak-Os wrote my name on an empty box in the sitting chart and pointed me to the last chair on the first aisle.

The bell rang as I took my seat.  
As soon as Ms. Hatzilakos was done with the roll calling, she introduced me to the class.  
  
"Hey guys… quiet down…  
Before we listen to our televised announcements, I have news for you…  
We have a new student with us… Alex…  
She's been transferred to Degrassi and I'd like you guys to welcome her and help her adjusting to Degrassi …"  
_  
I didn't know where to look while she said all this,  
so I focused at the desk in front of me.  
Then she turned to me and continued…_

"Alex if you have any trouble in any of your classes, you are more than welcome to come to me or any of the teachers…  
and we will do our best to help you"__

The televised morning announcement started as a girl with black hair appeared on screen …

"Good morning! _With a smile_

To start off let me remind you that two buses will be leaving today for Earl Gray, one for the team; the other for the 'spirit squad' and students who wish to join in the cheering.__

What? The school has a cheerleading team… how very 90's…  
Sure will be good to discourage them by poking fun at them…

You are more than welcome to use your own transportation._  
If we even go_

All students are expected to be on board at 12:30 sharp..._  
she emphasized on the word sharp_

The team is asked to report in the gym by Mr. Armstrong;  
And the 'spirit squad' by Paige Michalchuk for the final practice, immediately,  
As they've been excused from the morning classes..._  
some excuse…  
why are we stuck here again?_

And last but not the least, afternoon classes have been cancelled and students are encouraged to show school spirit as Degrassi 'Panthers' kick some serious 'Earl Gray' butt.__

She said forcefully, as if she has reached the end of the announcements…  
But then continued with a confused look as a paper was shoved towards her by the camera girl

…and this just came in;

Mr. Raditch is expecting all students to be on their best behavior while they are at 'Earl Gray' and he will be personally present in the gym to supervise the event.__

She was equally surprised at the announcement as she delivered it.  
Mr. Raditch had just given a warning to all the students visiting this other school.

This is Ashley Kerwin reporting to you live from Degrassi newsroom,  
thank you."__

She ended it with a smile as if nothing embarrassing had happened.  
This school was getting interesting by the minute…

The bell rang for the first period and everyone stood up to leave.

_----------------------------------------------------------------_**TBC**

**Will introduce someone important in Alex's life…  
But it won't be Paige…  
This is what happens when you don't review… so Please review…  
Thanks for reading.**


	9. Chapter 9: Friends Forever

**Ok so let's progress to another important character in Alex's life…**

**a comparatively**** short chapter, enjoy...  
Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi or any of its characters, just this fic.**

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Chapter 9: Friends Forever **

_I also stood up and went to Ms. Hatzilakos, who was barely leaning at her own desk… _

_ "_Ms. Hatzilakos, I didn't get a locker…"_ I said as I got closer _

"Oh, I'm sorry Alex; I guess you can have any empty one that you want,  
Late comer privileges" _she thinks she's so witty, I just looked at her and left the room _

_ I had no trouble finding my English class with the map I was given; thanks to Ms. Sauvé. _

_ As I entered the class, I saw other kids already settling-in their chairs. _

_ I went to Ms. Kwan with my timetable and went thru the 'drill' again...  
She smiled at me and pointed me to an empty chair, _

"Take that seat, Alex"

_I did as I was told as I noticed others kids staring at me.  
That was polite. _

_ This was my first period.  
Since it was Monday, most kids were enlightening each other of their previous day's activities.  
I personally thought it was lame to bore each other about past events. _

_ The girl next to me, with dirty blonde hair, turned to me and said 'Hi'.  
She was dressed up casually and looked a little older than her age. _

"Hey" _I geared myself to the 'monosyllables' _

"I'm Amy"

"Alex" _I said bluntly_

"I know, I noticed when Ms. Hatzilakos introduced you;  
…You were also in my homeroom."

"Didn't know 'It" belonged to you" _I said with sarcastic smile_

"Is this your first day … at Degrassi?" _she queried _

"Have you seen me here before?"

_I shot back with some more sarcasm. _

_ She smiled and it seemed like she liked my answer_

"And you're joining-in in the middle of a semester?"

"Transferring, actually" _I replied_

"From … where?"

"You sure wanna know… Lakehurst…" _Her curiosity was getting irritating _

"Why?"

"Why do you care?" _I was assessing how much information I could trust her with _

"Oh…was just wonderin'…"

"I was asked to leave" _I answered her anyway_

_She looked intrigued;  
The answer was to her satisfaction _

"Why, what did you do?" _now she was leaning to my side _

"Played a prank …at a kid I didn't like"

"What kinda prank?"

_She asked with an excitement in her eyes _

"Something he won't '**ever**' forget" _I smirked _

"Cool"

"Yeah" _I was beginning to enjoy her company _

"So what other classes do you have?"

"The usual, gym, chemistry, drama, shop, MI..."

"Hey, I'm in most of your classes"

_ She looked pleased and to my surprise,  
So did I _

"So?"  
_this looked like a good start to a beautiful friendship  
I almost gagged  
But it was true._

_ "_So you coming to cheer for 'Panthers', our basketball team"

"Would it be fun?"

_ I already knew these games were never fun …  
I was never into these boring, school spirit kinds of stuff…  
Except for that cheerleading thing, that's like a live circus, isn't it?  
It could be fun to see it the first time…  
Until it'll get boring… _  
_Lakehurst__ didn't have a cheering team…  
What am I saying?  
They didn't have a decent sports team…  
Any sport team… _

"Depends if Jay is there…"_ She spoke as if this guy was someone important _

"Who's Jay?"

"A good friend"

"A Boy friend?"

"No! Just a friend…  
But I think you'll like him"

_What's with that grin?  
She may be weird but she's fun…  
That's good enough for me  
My first class and I made a friend _

"I'll introduce you to him at 'Shop' class_" she continued _

"Okay"

_The bell rang and Ms. Kwan started introducing me to the class followed by her lesson on Macbeth. _

_Occasionally I'd notice a few glances at me during the reading,  
Trying to get used to the new face in their class,  
Which had many empty seats…  
May be,  
Most of the team was from this class.  
_

_Ms. Kwan came to me before the bell rang and  
Offered me extra help if I felt I needed any.  
I found out that she's also my drama teacher.  
I walked out with Amy as we had both headed to our next class… _

_----------------------------------------------------------------_**TBC**

**Please review...  
Thanks for reading **


	10. Chapter 10: ‘Shop’

**A/N:**

**Since this is the 10****th**** chapter,  
It deserves better A/N, just to bore u a little more before I start the actual chapter.  
So, for those who are wondering why I've wasted so much time, energy, and effort in churning up useless chapters...  
The answer is that I myself have changed 3 high schools…  
Naturally, I had gathered a lot of experience in that area…  
And now when I'm making Alex go thru the same change…  
I am re living the memories myself… the good and the bad of it.  
Don't want to get all mushy on you but I have never put that on a paper…  
Technically I'm still not because I'm writing on a computer, but u know what I mean.  
And when I started writing this fic, I had no intention of writing about the new school theme… just one chapter and then I was gonna start on Paige.  
But this just naturally came to me… and I felt like sharing it with my reader.  
How a new kid who doesn't know anyone perceives things around him… they don't know the names, so their only references are the hair colors or dress style etc.  
So be patient…  
I will introduce Paige pretty soon…  
In fact I'm currently writing that chapter…  
So feel free to give your input…  
But in the meantime…  
Some more angst of my life…**

**About the Chapter: **2 points:

1-- in most of the scenes in S3, Alex is actually interested in this class... so felt like i had to add it to do justice to Alex's character...

2--trying to explain what Alex said at the beginning of LOL1, that she never needed Jay... why she said that? something that Deg. writers never did... i will try to take it further in coming chapters... but for now, i think this will be enough.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Degrassi or any of its characters, except my views which I have tried to portray in this story, so don't sue me.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Chapter 10: 'Shop'**

_This classroom looked very different from any other I had ever seen._

_At the entrance, we had chairs like any other classroom,  
But in the back, it was like a lab with lots of conventional power tools scattered all over the place._

_It looked like a garage…  
It even had a garage door on the other side, which opened to reveal the beauty of the basketball court in front of it._

_It looked pretty interesting to say the least…, but I tried not to show my awe._

_It wasn't like Lakehurst didn't have a 'shop' like this…  
It's just that it wasn't updated properly due to the constant vandalism that kept going on  
Things used to get broken or stolen very frequently so they weren't maintained as frequently._

_While Amy took a seat in the middle of the room,  
I looked for a teacher in the room…_

_I was astonished to see a middle aged man sitting in an automatic wheel chair at the lab side of the classroom..  
He was dressed like a handy man in navy blue one-piece coveralls.  
Even in his casual attire he conceded a sense of authority.  
Must be the teacher?_

_I turned my head to look at Amy, my body still facing him…  
She gave me a nod as if suggesting to go ahead…_

"Mr. Ehl?" _I said as I walked towards him._

"Yesss, how can I help you?" _he replied in the cheeriest voice._

"I'm Alex, I'm supposed to be in your class" I _handed him the papers._

_He smelled of car oils mixed with a musky aftershave.  
Although he looked rigid, he had a kindness in his eyes._

_He scanned my papers for a while and then looked at me with a modest smile_,

"Yes Alex, I believe you are… glad to have you… please take a seat."  
_He said while returning me my papers._

_I went back to Amy and took the seat next to hers.  
The bell rang just then and all other kids started taking their seats._

"He seems nice…"

"Yeah, we all like him."

"How come?"

"He gets us… …There's a rumor that he belonged to the wrong side of tracks but he changed it around for himself."

"Hmm" _Interesting… Mr. Ehl an inspiration…_

"Look, here's the guy I was telling you about…" Amy interrupted my thoughts

"Jay_" Amy said looking at one of the two guys who walked in the class_

"This is Alex,  
Alex this is Jay and  
This is Towerz."

_She looked at each as she introduced us.  
They both looked at me and nodded and then at Amy,  
As if confirming with their eyes, 'are we taking her in?'  
Amy smiled giving her signal of approval..._

"Mr. Hogart and Towerz, nice of you to join us…

If you both sit down now, I'll ignore that you were late."

_Mr. Ehl's ultimatum caused both of them to jump towards a seat,  
Almost as if they were playing 'musical chairs'. _

_An unconscious chuckle released from my throat at this sight.  
They sure looked tougher than how they were acting._

_It was pretty clear to me at that very instant…  
They needed __**me**__ on their side...  
**Not**__ the other way around…  
It was my nature to be the way that I was…  
A survivor,  
One who never lets its guard down…_

"Thank you_" said Mr. Ehl as he came to the front desk and started handing out assignment papers for this week's group project._

_We were supposed to design our own 'car alternator' and submit the schematics on Friday for grading.  
It involved reading on our own now all I needed was enough time to finish this…_

_Because I hate to admit this but I was beginning to like this class a lot._

_The day was going better than I could've imagined..._

_----------------------------------------------------------------_**TBC**

**If you wish it… it will come…  
Am posting the next chapter in 5 min.  
Added bonus for finishing chapter 10. **


	11. Chapter 11: The Gang

**A/N: just a little chapter to set backdrop**

**About this chapter: **wanted to tell a bit about Jay and set up a foundation for Alex and Jay's relationship that will start... don't know when yet...

**If you review… more will come…**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Degrassi or any of its characters, except my views which I have tried to portray in this story, so don't sue me.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Chapter 11: The Gang**

_Amy, Jay, Towerz and I walked out of the '__**shop**__' class together.  
Amy and Jay had a spare and Towerz just skipped his class.  
I went to my history class with Mr. Perino,  
This was going to be the last class before the lunch break._

_Mr. Perino asked us to read a chapter and write a summary as he didn't want to start anything new with most of the students not there. _

_I finished it as fast as I could because I already had homework from 'shop' that required my attention tonight._

_When the bell rang, I was done with the assignment and I handed it in and left the class…  
Just as I walked out into the hall, I spotted a locker…  
This was going to be my locker for the rest of the year.  
I emptied my bag and only kept the 'shop' book.  
This was the end of today's classes._

_I walked out of the school and spotted Amy, Jay and Towerz standing by a cool orange Honda Civic, so I walked to them.  
These were really the only people I knew right now.  
Jay callously looked at me as he saw me coming there…_

"…look who's here… the girl who was kicked out of her previous school…  
you must really must've messed up things at Lakehurst…"

_He obviously had been briefed by Amy._

"Cut it out Jay"_ I said without looking at him_

"_Hey take it easy… this is your first day here, you wouldn't wanna mess with me already…"_

"I will mess with whomever and whenever I want"_ I snapped at him_

"You know what Alex, I've heard about you"

_Jay said callously looking at me while coming to stand near me._

"I have friends at Lakehurst, I find out what goes on there;  
They tell me you're a feisty one." _He continue_

_I wasn't surprised, my reputation had preceded me._

"I've heard you gave a kid heart attack_" That's an 'understatement'_

"So? Why'd you do it?" _Jay asked, curiously_

"I didn't like his attitude"

"That's it? You didn't like his attitude... that's why you made him think that his car's exploding … with him in it?  
… anyway, remind me to never let you near my car."

_He said giggling and looked at Amy and Towerz for approval of his joke.  
He could tell there was more to it than that but he didn't push it._

"So guys, you wanna go? …Cheer for the team?"

_Jay asked mischievously,  
More like suggested than asked  
As he opened the passenger door of the car for me  
And walked around to the driver's seat.  
I got in as I saw Amy and Towerz doing the same._

_The school was over, and it was too early to go home.  
I decided that there wasn't any harm in hanging out with these guys._

_I already liked Amy.  
Towerz was a little into himself but he seemed friendly._

_Jay was a little complicated.  
But I was smart enough to know that it was better to be on his side than not.  
I needed to know more about him though to decide if he could be considered a friend…_

_----------------------------------------------------------------_**TBC**

**thanks for reading guys.**

**please review, it'll make me happy. **


	12. Chapter 12: Cheers

**A/N: **because the Degrassi writers didn't explain why Alex didn't like Marco, …  
I have to do the work…

**If you review it, more will come…**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Degrassi or any of its characters, except my views which I have tried to portray in this story, so don't sue me.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Chapter 12: Cheers**

_The gym was fully crowded.  
Jay led us to the only empty seats on the middle bleacher,  
This side of the bleacher was especially reserved for Degrassi students.  
We squeezed our way to our seats, bumping and stepping on other's feet.  
The game had already started and the kids were cheering for their school teams._

"That's Raditch, by the door"

_Amy pointed to a guy in a suit who looked very out of place in his formal attire._

"See that chic, that's Emma Nelson,  
She's in grade 9;  
We call her 'green peace'.  
She's dating Sean Cameron, the cute guy next to her."

_Amy tried to brief me in on who's who of the school pointing at a blonde chic and her boyfriend…_  
…_then at the cheerleaders who were waiting for the half time so they would do their cheer._

"That's the 'spirit squad' a fancy name for uptight cheerleaders,  
Mostly grade 10s;  
Most of them are dating guys from the basketball team…"  
They're all going to be in your classes.  
Be aware of them.

"And that's Marco Del Rossi, he's gay.  
He's pretty popular…"

"For being gay?"_ I interrupted_

"No! for being friends with all the popular kids  
And he's pretty good at school too  
Everyone likes him." _Amy revealed_

'_He was liked by all'  
Not anymore…  
I refuse to like him…  
There goes 'his world record'_

_  
Not because he's gay…  
I can't care less about that…  
But because he's popular._

…_May be, I 'am' jealous.  
...So what if I am?  
I have every right to be jealous._

_I know a lot about kids who are the 'so called' popular socialites…  
The ones who spend extra time in the library to upgrade that 1 percent mark.  
Or the ones who stay in school despite the need of their presence.  
The ones who have too much time in their hands.  
Because they don't have to work to support themselves.  
So they read useless magazines.  
They have no worries, well at least not like my kind of worries.  
They've planned out their lives from every since they were young children..  
And they have parents to attend to their ever financial need._

_We had a few at Lakehurst.  
A paper cut was the worst thing that could've happened to them…  
I detested these kids.  
All hunky dory_

_I knew that I was their exact opposite…  
Their nemesis_

_Like the Newton's third law…  
Their equal and opposite…_

_My existence was as important as theirs to provide the balance,  
Like the Yin for the Yang  
Jedi and Sith? Sorry I think I went too far_

_And yet I wasn't appreciated for that._

_I despised that.  
And I will make sure that the popular kids of this school find out that I exist...  
__To provide the balance to this universe just by my mere existence._

_----------------------------------------------------------------_**TBC**

**A reminder… "Lucky chapter 13" is dedicated to all Palex Lovers out there.  
It'll be a short chapter but…**  
… **Well it's a start… I apologize for the delay.**

**  
I intend to stop for a while after chapter 13.  
You know to re-collect my thoughts…  
How I want to take it further…**

**Because my moving inspiration has been taken care of…  
I need to find some other to bore you guys with.**

**Thanks for reading guys.  
Love you all.**


	13. Chapter 13: The Queen

anhey20's quote:"I never thought Alex would know about Newton's laws of physics, interesting."well considering that she later became a science geek... i think she already was good in science... she seemed smart and attentive type to me... and the fact that she's in 11th grade...I'd assume she'd know the Newton's laws...

**A/N: **ok so Alex and Paige r finally at the same place.  
I made 2 chapters from the 1 that I had planned… because it was getting difficult to organize it.  
But will finish the second soon and will post it.

**i'm done with the first segment that i had plotted so am taking a break after chap 14.**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Degrassi or any of its characters, except my views which I have tried to portray in this story, so don't sue me.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Chapter 13: The Queen**

"Alex… we're going to jeer when everyone else cheers"

"Sure"_ I said as Amy brought me back from my zoning out._

_And so we did…  
It was almost the half time, Degrassi were leading with 17 points._

_We 'booed' with the 'Earl Gray' kids, sitting across from us on the bleachers._

_The Degrassi kids, of course, were in an unbelievable state of shock for a second as they heard the 'boo' sounds coming from their own side of the bleachers._

_They tried to counter our sounds by cheering even more loudly hence creating a total havoc for everyone.  
And then they inevitably stopped as they were outnumbered …_

_Well that, and the fact that boos were coming from their own side,  
Which kind of made it pointless to cheer as mixed with our sounds,  
It sounded as if everyone's 'booing'._

_The front rowers, bench warmers and the cheerleaders started turning and looking at us as the four of us jeered for our own team._

_The look on their faces was priceless._

_The gay kid was turning worriedly and asking his neighbors… _

"What's going on? What's wrong?"

_As if he's the self appointed chairperson to set things right on this planet.  
What a smug.  
I could tell he was no fun to be with…  
Always wrapped around in his tiny little worries…_

_I felt content for some reason._

_It was my first day at this school,  
And I was already on the way to make my mark…  
And having fun at the same time._

_That's all that matters…_

_I'm willing to put up with whole façade that Mr. Hastings had created for me,  
Accept all the bad things that had happened to me in last few weeks…  
As long as I get some sort of an affirmation that things will get better,  
And that all things will be simpler and fun from now on….  
That's all I ask._

_And then with a bell, it was the half-time._

_The cheerleaders were getting up to do their cheer,  
While still staring at us with scowl filled eyes…_

_  
My gang still kept booing as  
I quietly watched the '__**spirit squad'**__ do their __**'tripod'**__ acrobatic act thing …  
Or whatever that it's called…  
Being performed 'live' for our entertainment.  
It was pretty good for the 'stuck up cheerleaders' as Amy had put it._

_There was this one blonde girl,  
Who seemed to be the leader of the team …  
Her hair tied neatly in a pony._

_And even though, they were all dressed the same,  
She still had managed to stand out._

_All these cheers were about her more than the actual team…_  
…_It was her on the top of the 'tripod'_  
…_the one who was flipped and landed perfectly._

_She was the total definition of 'Arrogance'._

_Amy told me her name was_  
'_Paige Michalchuk', the supposed 'queen of Degrassi'._

----------------------------------------------------------------**TBC**

**Thanks for reading guys.**


	14. Chapter 14: Close Encounters

**A/N: **this is more like the second part of the previous chapter… Enjoy.  
** Your Palex is here.**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Degrassi or any of its characters, except my views which I have tried to portray in this story, so don't sue me.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Chapter 14: Close Encounter**

_After the cheer and the acrobatic act of the 'spirit squad',  
Everyone took a break  
Including us…_

_A team of popular kids, comprising  
Two of the cheerleaders;  
One' that queen'  
And the other who seemed like her sidekick,  
Marco, the gay kid,  
One of the team guys  
And a bench warmer,  
Went to Mr. Raditch and had a little discussion on the side-lines…_

_Raditch said something back but didn't bother coming towards us…  
Which meant the 'tattle telling" hadn't worked.  
We were safe._

_The team guy left and went to the changing room…  
But the rest of them were coming towards us…  
We remained seated._

"What do you think you're doing…?"

_Questioned the sidekick cheerleader,  
Who apparently was used to doing the dirty job for the head cheerleader…_

_Jay volunteered to answer with an innocent smirk…_

"What? …We're cheering for the team…"

"No…, you're cheering… for the… 'Other'… team…  
How much ?… Are they… Paying… you…?"

_As if the iceberg coldness of her words wasn't enough,  
She chewed on every word that came  
And spaced them equally as well…_

_Making sure that her eyes remain full of hatred,  
Without blinking,  
As to not let any of that hatred fall out of her eyes  
And lessen the effects of her feelings._

_This was the head cheerleader's counter strike,  
To our little ordeal earlier..._

_She had replied and insulted us all at the same time...  
...With just two of her sentences…_

_The focus of her attention was 'only Jay'.  
But mine, was she...  
I had noticed her every gesture and every word.  
And my brain was working overtime to win this war…_

_Though it was the first time that I was meeting her,  
Or listening to her talk,  
There was something about her...  
That was very familiar…_

_She was a master of her domain…Very much like I was…  
But her guard was down…  
Her focus was only Jay...  
She had assumed that we weren't worthy of fighting with her.  
I was going to take advantage of that._

_Jay needed help._

"We have a right to cheer for whichever team we want…  
…it's in the '_Charter'…ever heard of it?_"

_I justified our actions by merely stating the facts  
Something that she couldn't argue with  
And at the same time I had insulted her by the implied ignorance on her part._

_My voice was full of sarcasm,  
And I had made sure to state it in the bluntest expression I had.  
My eyes had the coldness that could run down chill thru her spine._

_  
My every word and action was calculated.  
This was my first encounter and that too  
With the queen … The royalty of Degrassi…  
It was a perfect opportunity to either make history or go down with it._

_My comment had taken her by surprise and she quickly turned towards me  
Only to notice my ominous eyes...  
The unfamiliarity had caught her off-guard  
She was not ready to face her new opponent…  
Someone who threatened her authority … her position  
With the similar kind of cold elegance that she apprehended…_

_She was lost for words and there was confusion on her face._  
'_She' took the 'gay kid' by arm and walked back to her front row seats.  
Her posse followed her._

_Crash and Burn._

_And it was then at that moment,  
That I knew,  
I was her equal and total opposite.  
If she could rule this school,  
So could I._

----------------------------------------------------------------**TBC**

**Now I take a break for a while  
And you review.  
if not happy the way things r going,  
let me know...  
Thanks for reading.**  
**  
sorry for making Alex turning to the evil side like this.  
but it must've started somewhere right?**

**if disappointed with the way things r going...,**

**and also there r so many ways that i can take this...  
can even go off the degrassi plot if you want...**

**so let me know.  
it will help me a lot.****  
**


	15. Chapter 15: Ravine

**A/N: **_just a small chapter_

**POV: **_Omniscient_

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Degrassi or any of its characters, except my views which I have tried to portray in this story, so don't sue me.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Chapter 15: Ravine**__

It was a park in a secluded neighborhood where couples walked in the evenings  
It was at the border of two police stations' jusrisdiction and was neglected by both.  
Due to lack of maintenance, it soon turned into a garbage dump  
…fast food wrappers, empty bottle and soda cans were a common sight.

The attraction factor was lost and  
neighborhood kid's started hanging out there after school.

Because of its private location,  
it soon became a home ground for all sorts of activities  
like gambling, drugs, drag race betting and some other illegal stuff.

There were three set of Rules:  
One: there were no gangs at the ravine… everyone was a friend.  
Two: whatever happened at the ravine, stayed here.  
Three: Everyone was allowed to come here as long as they gave something in return…  
whether it was a box of beer, some cash or even a favor.

Alex had had her very first beer here with some of her old friends...  
but that was a few years ago.  
She had a fairly good idea as to what went on in here.

Even when her hands were tight on money,  
she had promised herself to never get entangled in anything that ravine had to offer…  
anything that could cause her to lose dignity or respect in her own eyes.  
She had a conscience to answer to  
And besides she had enough on her plate.

So on their drive back from 'Earl Gray',  
When Jay turned to the only street that led to the ravine,  
she was a little surprised. 

----------------------------------------------------------------**TBC**

**Thanks for reading.  
Paige POV next chapter. **


	16. Chapter 16: The Routine

**A/N: sorry i couldn't stay away for too long.  
More Palex and the longest chapter so far.**

**POV: Paige at the basketball game at Earl Gray.**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Degrassi or any of its characters, except my views which I have tried to portray in this story, so don't sue me.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Chapter 16: The Routine **

_I had a long day today.  
Since this morning, I was busy practicing the cheer.  
Not to mention that me and the 'squad' had spent the whole weekend practicing.  
It was a big deal for me.  
I knew we were ready but I'd still asked the 'spirit squad' to use the three morning periods to polish our perfection. _

_The game was at 'Earl Grays' and they had the home team advantage…  
Psyching them up with the cheers and pretty cheerleaders was one of the many tricks of winning the game. _

_Sometimes you just had to get your hands dirty to get what you wanted…  
It was one of my mottos.  
Winning things was important to me.  
That's what I had worked for all my life… ironically, this is how I worked  
I hated settling for things. _

_'Panthers' were on their way to a predictable victory…  
We were leading by 17 points _

_Jimmy Brooks was an asset to our team  
But it was better that Armstrong had kept Spinner off the court…  
He hadn't done so well this day. _

_Our whole school was cheering for them…  
Soon it was going to be the half-time and  
We were ready for our cheering routine. _

_The sounds of 'booing' from the bleachers across was much anticipated,  
But from our own side of the bleachers, was a big shocker. _

_I turned around to look along with the rest of the school…  
only to see Jay and some of his 'friends' booing for 'our team'.  
That was just beyond sickening. _

_Jay was a resident bully of our school who rarely showed up for classes  
and I was pretty sure that he had broken all the records of detentions and suspensions of every _ _school__ of __Toronto_

_It was amazing that he was still listed as a student here at Degrassi.  
Bashing up other kids and bullying them was part of his lustrous resumé  
and he definitely needed an extended course in anger management. _

_I could imagine him having a tough life  
but this was no way of dealing with things… _

_We've all had bad things happened to us, and  
We had turned out pretty ok.  
Why would his case be any more deserving?  
Why should he get special treatment? _

_Besides having known him,  
He probably just used his situation to get sympathy from Ms. Sauvé  
and kept postponing his well deserved permanent suspension. _

_I never argued his intelligence…  
If only he'd used it for the good of mankind than evil. _

_I'd had numerous arguments with Jay in the hallways of Degrassi  
and they'd all ended up leaving a sour taste in my mouth.  
And just the thought of having another one then made me disgustingly angry…  
But we had to do something to somehow stop 'them' from doing this. _

_Unfortunately though, we were so near the half time and  
we had to take our positions for the routine.  
I wasn't going to let him ruin everything that we'd been working on for days,  
So I controlled my anger for the time. _

_Our routine went really well…  
And all that practice had paid off.  
I'd landed perfectly after the flip I'd made from the top of the pyramid.  
This was our final routine that we'd prepared for the half-time. _

_The booing sounds had continued through out our cheer,  
so as soon as we were done with it,  
I took Hazel, Marco, Jimmy and Spinner with me and walked to Mr. Raditch. _

_Mr. Raditch was standing by the entrance door as if guarding the door or something…  
Almost pretending… he hadn't notice what had just happened…  
That was Raditch's biggest character flaw;  
He just ignored things so his hands won't get dirty. _

_I bet Ms. Kwan would've been really happy with me just then for figuring out Mr. Raditch's flaw. _

"Mr. Raditch, Jay and his friends are booing for Degrassi,  
Please can you tell them to stop that?"_ I said angrily _

"Miss Michalchuk, Mr. Hogart has a right to be here like everyone else; to support the team he likes. I can not tell him to leave… he has not broken any laws yet."  
_Was his simple reply _

_May be if we'd provoke him to break a law or two…  
He would be asked to leave…  
I don't know what I wanted him to do…  
Punch one of us??  
I know it was a dumb idea, but it sounded better at the time.  
… as I was exhausted from all the strenuous physical activity of the previous week…  
…all I wanted to do was go home and take a long nap... _

"Let's go talk to Jay everyone"

_We walked to Jay's seat and I gave Hazel a push.  
…suggesting that she should start… _

_…I know it was very cruel of me since I know how scared Hazel was of Jay,  
…but what else could I do,  
…offer myself for sacrifice??  
…Don't answer that, it's a rhetorical question… _

_Truth is that we were all scared of Jay even though none of us had ever admitted it.  
Jimmy had already left to get ready for the third quarter  
Marco was Jay's punching bag since he had 'come out'  
and Spinner…  
well let's just say that I couldn't afford a black eye on my boyfriends face…  
That was going to be more embarrassing for me than it would've been for him. _

_All Hazel could say was ask Jay what they were doing…  
How useless could one be?  
I mean really?  
Had this girl learned nothing from me in last few years? _

_Jay, with his legendary attitude, pretended he didn't know what Hazel was talking about. _

_I stepped up to Jay… _

_…turned 'On' my threatening mode…  
and just said the first thing that came to my head… _

"No, you're jeering for our team!  
How much are they paying you?"

_It worked… Jay was taken aback with this…  
I was pretty insulting with 'you're doing this for money' remark…  
…… he had a soul after all?  
Or may be it was just my tone of voice that got to him. _

_Whichever it was, at least now he was going to stop booing…  
…the joke had lost its fun value anyway. _

_My work here was done and  
I was ready to celebrate two victories tonight. _

_I prepared to return back to my seat and  
resume with the game  
which was about to start…  
and just at that moment… _

_"We have a right to cheer for whichever team we want…  
…it's in the 'Charter'  
…ever heard of it?" _

_Where had this sound come from? I looked around with confusion _

_The girl with black hair was leaning so back in the chair that she was barely visible.  
…now that I had finally spotted her, _

_I quickly noticed that she was dressed pretty casually.  
…old habit Hun couldn't help it. _

_…I had no idea who she was… _

_A friend of Jay's…  
May be?  
Did she go to Degrassi? _

_and if yes…  
How come I had never seen her before? _

_I wouldn't admit it out loud but she was pretty noticeable for anyone to ignore…  
…especially considering the crowd we had at Degrassi... _

_there was no way she went to Degrassi…  
…I justified to myself.  
_

_Her face was so stern,  
but her eyes…  
were extremely expressive  
of her feelings of……dislike? _

_But she didn't even know me? _

_……'Correction'… I didn't know her. _

_What had she said to me? _

_Oh yeah … the 'Charter', had I heard of it…?  
Had she just insult me?  
How lame? _

_And why was she fighting with me anyway?  
when she very well knew  
what 'they' were doing was wrong. _

_Well she might be partially right…  
It was her right to cheer for whichever team,  
Since she could be from 'Earl Gray'…couldn't argue there… _

_……and her voice was so cold…and threatening….  
Was that fear I felt inside me?  
I would say it was justified though. _

_Besides I wasn't the only one who was scared…  
Hazel and Marco looked scared too. _

_'I shouldn't let these people spoil all the fun…  
We should go back, the third quarter is about to start soon…  
I'm too tired for this anyway…' I thought to myself _

_I tugged on Marco's arm and started walking back to our seats. _

"Who was that?"_ I asked Marco on our way back _

"That was Alex Nunez…  
She's a new student at Degrassi…  
a transferee from some other school here…  
She was in our English and History classes this morning."

_And I stood corrected. _

_Like I didn't have enough things going on,  
That's just what I needed…  
Another loser like Jay,  
Who looked for ways to make my life miserable. _

----------------------------------------------------------------**TBC**

**Please review if u can.**

**Thanks for reading.**


	17. Chapter 17: Victory

**thanks for reading guys...  
**

**A/N: ****here's another, not so good one... i'm sorry... just been a little busy and haven't had time to write or think that much... so just dragging things a little.  
just having a writer's block… so a very small chapter  
Some feedback will definitely help.**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Degrassi or any of its characters, except my views which I have tried to portray in this story, so don't sue me.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Chapter 17: Victory**

_We got out of the car and jay went to the bench.  
We all followed him.  
He took a beer can from a cooler by the tree and offered me which I refused.  
Amy came and sat next to me.  
There was still an hour or so until I had to get to work._

"… I am impressed by how you handled things with 'that' Paige."_ Jay remarked_

_It was pretty easy actually… I thought to myself  
I had no idea that she was going to back down so quickly.  
She didn't put up a fight at all.  
I just assumed that she'll be tougher than this._

_The cheerleader had been pretty hostile with Jay though.  
How can the queen not fight for her throne?  
I had enough experience and I knew that something didn't fit right.  
Anyway,  
I didn't see a point in celebrating a victory that I hadn't earn…  
May be soon we'll have a proper fight… worth celebrating._

"…I'll have to leave pretty soon"_ I said changing the topic_

"Why? Its only 4 o'clock?"_ Amy asked_

"gotta work at 5"_ was my answer._

"You work?"_ Jay had just gotten the shock of his life._

"Yes."_ I gave a short answer._

"But why work when you can get things for free...  
We just take what we like…  
Simple as that…"_ Jay shared his secret to success with me._

"Can't do that… got to help my mom with the rent" _I replied in a serious tone_

"Really? The Rent?"_ Jay said barely believing me but I knew that all three of them were wondering about it._

"Let's go, I'll give you a ride home"

_He said without waiting for an answer this time.  
We both got up and started walking to the car…  
Soon we were in front of my apartment building._

"Would you like me to wait…? I could drop you to where you work or something?"

"No, I'm good, I'll take the transit"_ I really didn't think there was any need for him to hang around here or at work for that matter… _

"Hey listen…Alex"

_I turned around and came to the car window to peek in._

"You know  
I heard that things had been tough …  
at Lakehurst and all…  
Just want you to know that  
It'll be alright …  
I got your back."

_He drove off as soon as he finished leaving me mystified as to what had just happened.  
Was he being nice to me?  
I thought walking up the stairs to my apartment._

----------------------------------------------------------------**TBC**

**Please review.  
Thanks for reading.**


	18. Chapter 18: Gym class

**A/N: still suffering from writer's block… so dragging along.  
Some feedback will definitely help.**

**thanks to dorex for the help. **

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Degrassi or any of its characters, except my views which I have tried to portray in this story, so don't sue me.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Chapter 18: Gym class**

_Now that I had to walk longer to get to Degrassi, I had set my alarm half an hour earlier which worked perfectly and  
The bell rang as soon as I had stepped into my homeroom class.  
Sure I had to take faster and longer steps to still make it work._

_I took the seat that was assigned to me yesterday by __Ms. Hatzilakos as she started the roll call.  
I looked around for Amy but couldn't find her.  
But I did notice that most of the kids in the class gave me looks of recognition because of what had happened yesterday.  
It was a weird feeling.  
I of course couldn't care less that they were looking at me._

_Soon the telecasted announcements started with Ashley Kerwin.  
Ashley bored us first with yesterday's news listening to which,  
Wasn't that much fun._

"Degrassi won the basketball yesterday by a lead of 23 points.  
We should be proud of the 'team' and  
The 'spirit squad' for all the hard work they had put in.  
Jimmy Brooks was MVP for the game and has won this title 4th time in a row."

_She had said the last part with a pertinent smile on her face which made it pretty obvious that this girl liked 'Jimmy'._

_Soon the bell rang and I was standing in front of my locker.  
Just then Amy walked up to me and said 'Hi'._

"And I thought 'I' was the only one who was late all the time_"  
I said with a little sarcastic smile ignoring her hi._

"Just anything…, to make you happy"  
_She said with a bitter face and her response made me giggle a little_

"So are you gonna tell me why you're late then?" _Still smiling_

"Yeah well, Jay was supposed to pick me up for school from my apartment, he never showed up and now I'm just one late slip away from a detention"_ she looked upset_

"Just hope you don't get another late slip then…"

_I suggested an alternative, knowing perfectly well that getting late was almost addictive.  
Amy just hit me on the arm with a book she had in her hand._

"So you're coming to the drama class then?"_ I asked_

"… Wouldn't miss it for the world"

_Still bitter, almost imitating my perky attitude as she caught up to me and we both walked to the drama class.  
Ms. Kwan was telling us about different role playing techniques when Amy whispered from behind._

"_You know, someone should tell Emma that this isn't Dr. David Suzuki's class…  
That's 'all' she seems to do 'all the time' now,  
It's either save the planet,  
Save the seals,  
Or some other awareness project going on.  
She's such an attention seeker"._

_Amy said looking at the same blonde girl she'd shown me yesterday at the game.  
Emma looked pretty engrossed in some project she had on her desk,  
Barely listening to Ms. Kwan._

"_Does she get the attention she seeks?" I inquired_

"_Yeah, mostly… her step dad is our M.I. teacher, Mr. Simpson…  
And her mom used to go to Degrassi…  
She gets away with a lot of stuff around here."_

"_The worst kind eh?" _

"_Yeah." Amy agreed._

_Our discussion had to be deferred to a later time as we saw Ms. Kwan looking in our direction._

_Who knew my wish would come true in the very next class…_  
'_The Gym'._

_Ms. Hatzalikos divided us in two soccer teams.  
I turned out to be a better player than I thought I was,  
Except that I never passed the ball,  
Mostly… deliberately.  
And I would've gotten lots of those yellow and red cards…  
Had I been playing professionally.  
And last but not least, my most favorite target to hit with the ball was not the goal on the other side,  
It was Emma._

_Emma had objected a few times to Ms. Hatzalikos  
Which only got 'me' a measly warning,_

_May be because it was my first day of gym class,  
That I got away with most of it.  
Well either that,  
Or Ms. Hatzalikos had a soft corner for me;  
Which if true…?  
I was going to get away with a lot of stuff at this school._

"_Why are you doing this... Alex?"  
Emma had asked me on the field.  
She knew my name?_

"_Oh …  
Just trying to save the planet …  
From you" _

_My reply had gotten laughter from who seemed like her close friends.  
She turned and stared at her friends instead of answering me back._

_What can I say?  
Our equation was simple  
She was an easy target.  
And I was a big bully._

----------------------------------------------------------------**TBC**

**Please review if u want changes.  
Next chapter is for Jalex lovers.  
Thanks for reading.**


	19. Chapter 19: Change room

**A/N: I have some stuff I was thinking about and I think it's important enough to be added in the story… to make the transition easier.  
These are 2 short chapters… hope you'll like them.  
P.S. sorry, it's not a Jalex chapter like I had promised…  
That'll come after these 2 chapters hopefully, may be a little later if I decide to make a palex chapter before jalex...  
Thanks for your patience.  
And all the advice I get from some of my dedicated readers.  
You know who you are.**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Degrassi or any of its characters, except my views which I have tried to portray in this story, so don't sue me.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Chapter 19: Change room**

_I had a spare third period so  
I took my time in the changing room after the gym class.  
Most kids had hurried out of their gym clothes  
and had headed to their classes.  
Amy sat on the bench beside me still in her gym class attire.  
while I was still trying to stuff my bag with the t-shirt and shorts.  
She looked around to make sure that nobody was around who could hear us._

Amy: Alex, can I ask you something?

_Alex: yeah…(still struggling with my bag; may be I should try folding them first)  
_

Amy: So between school and work, do you get any time for yourself _(that was random) _

_Alex: Yes I do and I can ask for time off whenever I want,  
but it has to be a good reason.  
Plus I prefer to work on weekends. ( I don't know why I thought I had to give her an explanation)  
It's better than sitting at home. ( I smiled to convince her)  
_

Amy: Was that true what you said about helping your mom with the rent?

_Alex: Yeah.  
(short answers : good for discourage more questions beside giving you an edge on situations)  
_

Amy: Is it that bad?

_Alex: No we're doing better now.  
But I don't mind getting some extra cash,  
You know just for me. (another explanation, what's wrong with me)  
_

Amy: So you'll be able to like catch a movie with the gang this Saturday or something?

_Alex: Sure. ( yeah, be casual)  
_

Amy: Cool. So you can come at the ravine and we'll go together from there

_Alex: No, I'll meet you guys at the mall._

Amy: You know **you can** trust me right? _She said pausing for a while_

_Alex: Yeah_

Amy: Then tell me, what's wrong with meeting at the ravine.

_Alex: I don't like it there. (I answered knowing well that it wasn't gonna end the 20 questions)  
_

Amy: Why?

_Alex: That place is trouble… trust me Amy.  
And I have my hands full, that's all.  
I'm the only one my mom's got…  
It's complicated.  
It's different for guys like Jay and for people like us.  
(I couldn't help my tone getting serious, plus I really wanted to warn Amy)  
_

Amy: We're not so different from Jay, you know?

_Alex: Listen I don't want to argue about this. (nor discuss this anymore)  
I'll meet you guys at the mall. Okay?_

Amy: alright.

_Alex: I think I'm just gonna go sit on the bleachers by the running track until lunch.  
(I had a sudden urge to go somewhere quiet)  
Are we meeting at the caf later?_

_Amy: Ok.  
Yeah._

_I waited for Amy until she changed and then we both exited the gym together._

----------------------------------------------------------------**TBC**

**Please review if u want changes.  
Thanks for reading.**


	20. Chapter 20: Running Tracks

**A/N: so like I said for the last chapter… this one is also a transition chapter.  
Hope you'll like it.  
Thanks to coco, for saying something that gave me an idea to write this chapter... so if u don't like, u know who to yell at.  
and coco, hope u'r not angry anymore for making Alex so mean. btw, i assure u, there will be more mean Alex chapters.  
get ready for angst...  
**

**POV: Omniscient **

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Degrassi or any of its characters, except my views which I have tried to portray in this story, so don't sue me.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Chapter 20: Running Tracks**

_Exiting the backdoor of Degrassi,  
Alex experienced the drastic change of atmosphere.  
The noises faded farther away as she went down towards the bleachers  
until they changed into a still quietness.  
Just fifteen minutes ago, she was running around in this field…  
And now she had become a spectator. _

_The gym class was a little tiring and  
It was good that she had a spare.  
She picked a spot in the center of the middle bleachers  
and started walking towards it.  
She took her seat that she'd marked with her eyes earlier  
And then deeply inhaled the freshness of air into her lungs. _

_ She was well aware that this peace and quiet was soon  
to be disturbed by clatter as  
the next gym class was expected to start soon,  
But she still felt good being here. _

_Alex always cherished the quiet times,  
Even more so because she rarely get them.  
They helped her relax.  
And reflect on things that were going on in her life.  
Things she couldn't share with other people.  
Things she wouldn't share with other people.  
_Not even with her friends.

_Yesterday, being Monday,  
Her work shift had ended around __11 o'clock__.  
And she had rushed home to start working  
on her 'shop' assignment. _

_But her eyes were focused on the big man  
who was standing in their kitchen  
as she had entered the house. _

_ Her mom had updated her that  
'_ _Chad__' had moved in with them that evening. _

_ From the looks of It though, _  
_Chad__ didn't have any stuff…  
So he had just moved himself in their house. _

_ And it wasn't much to Alex's astonishment that  
Her mom seemed okay with this new living arrangement.  
She couldn't believe how her mom just trusted a stranger  
to move in and start living with them. _

_ This was exactly how it had happened the last time,  
with her previous boyfriend 'Charles', Alex had thought,  
the memory still vivid in her mind.  
Charles had taken some cash along with him as he had left.  
The story with Stew hadn't been much different either. _

_ Alex had wondered how her mom could find a deadbeat guy,  
One after another,  
Who all worked minimum wage jobs,  
Lived in their house,  
Were always drunk and  
physically abused her mom…while they were drunk,  
and left her after stealing from them.  
And how her mom couldn't see through this? _

_ She hated it.  
She hated it so much.  
_

_Hated to  
clean up her mom's face  
While her nose bled,  
Or when the side of her lip bled. _

_ Hated it  
when there was a cut on her eye brow,  
That was all swelled up  
That Alex had to put ice on. _

_ Hated  
the bruises on her mom's body  
that hurt her.  
But hurt Alex even more just to see them. _

_ Hated it  
when her mom  
cried herself to sleep. _

_ Or when she  
Tried to get her mom  
To forget what had happened. _

_ And hated  
Trying to  
Forget it herself.  
Which she never did. _

_All this was too painful and made her feel helpless  
to not be able to help her mom with this.  
There were times when she had taken her mom to women's shelter  
to protect them both from one of her mom's abusive boyfriends,  
But in the end,  
they always were stuck in the exact same situation. _

_She hadn't realized it but tears were running  
down the sides of her cheeks as if it were raining.  
Her face was all salty and sticky  
And her brown pants had wet stains on them  
which meant she had been crying for a while. _

_ She looked around to see some guys playing football on the track,  
But no body was interested in what she was doing…  
So she stayed there while the thunderstorm inside her settled down. _

----------------------------------------------------------------**TBC**

**Yeah so I had to justify alex's mean behavior.  
Sorry that I'm a biased writer.  
Please review if u want changes.**

**Next will definitely be a jalex or a palex. I promise.  
Thanks for reading.**


	21. Chapter 21: Escape Strategy

**A/N: a short chapter. I won't say Palex, but there is some Paige and Alex. Enjoy.**

**POV: Alex **

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Degrassi or any of its characters, except my views which I have tried to portray in this story, so don't sue me.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Chapter 21: Escape Strategy **

_ When I entered the Caf,  
there already was a line forming so I joined in.  
I wasn't feeling too hungry so I just took some soup with chocolate milk  
And headed to a table on the back side of the caf._

_I quickly started eating my lunch without bothering to look up at all.  
Amy was supposed to join me for lunch but she hadn't showed up yet  
and I considered the possibility of her being outside  
with Jay at his patent spot near the car._

_I stood up and went to put tray back in the rack  
and started to walk out of the Caf to look for Amy.  
_

_ I was half way near the Caf door when I almost bumped into someone...  
...ah the 'sidekick'  
...who was holding a tray full of food.  
_

_Being already in a sour mood from crying earlier,  
thninking about how all this food could've spilled on me,  
made me irritated and  
I snapped at her. _

"Hey, watch! where you're going"

_ She was really not expecting an angry girl  
yelling at her like that  
and her face slowly turned pale,  
while I firmly stood there in front of her with a blunt face.  
Without blinking, I just stared at her. _

_ There was fear on her face…  
she was looking everywhere but at me.  
Or may be she was just looking around for help, ...I couldn't tell...  
_

_she was beginning to get a little __embarrassed__ now...__  
I just couldn't believe the effects I was having on her...  
and it was making my mood a little better.__  
_  
"No… Watch… Where?… you're…going…."

_This was the reply from the head cheerleader  
who obviously had ran up to help her sidekick  
in her situation of need. _

_ She had again spaced out her words evenly,  
And had emphasized on each of her words._

_I __quickly glanced__ at her for less than a millisecond,_  
_and noticed her eyes were calm,...  
without hatred, like before... which told me that  
she was in a defense mode than an attack one.  
My focus was again her pale looking friend. _

"I wasn't talking to you…"

_Okay, so this wasn't as good A come back  
That's expected of me.  
May be all that crying had dried my brain a little.  
But I still tried to say it as bluntly as I could,  
Ignoring her and still focusing on the 'sidekick'. _

"And I'm… not interested… in talking to you… either."

_Pretty lame come back from her side too.  
What's her excuse? _

"Then why? ... Are you?"

_I had fired back at the cheerleader,  
this time I had turned fully towards the cheerleader,  
and was looking directly into her eyes,  
With both my eye brows raised as if questioning her intelligence..._

_  
I __quickly left them standing there and exited the Caf right after saying that;__  
Before they could leave me,  
which the cheerleader was obviously planning to,  
as I'd noticed as she had __discreetly put her hand on the sidekick's elbow._

**_Being the first one to depart had its advantages...  
The gesture, if used appropriately,  
Could imply that you've won the battle,  
even if it's actually a tie._**

_I really had to control the little laugh  
that was about to escape my mouth,  
as I had caught a glimpse of her face after my latter come back.  
I most certainly had made up for the first bad one._

_ She was speechless...with  
The same confusion on her face…,  
That marked my victory…_

_---------------------------- _

_Outside the school,_

_I spotted Jay with his car and Amy standing right beside him.  
They both saw me coming..._

"Hey, how was your spare?"

_Jay yelled from across...  
I chose not to reply to him.  
Instead I questioned Amy.  
_

"I thought you were supposed to meet me in the Caf?"

"Yeah, well... Jay met me after class and wanted to talk to me about something..."

_she explained._

"Whatever..."

_Was my honest reply to what Amy had just said.  
I didn't understand the hold that Jay had over Amy...  
Their friendship was too weird,  
even though Jay 'was' nice to me the other day._

_Jay: Alex... there's a gig ... you wanna come?_

_Me: When?_

_Jay: __When do you think?  
Right now!_

_Me: __No, not in the mood_

_I lied.  
I still had Math, MI and Chemistry classes today.  
But I didn't want Jay and Amy to think I was a geek,  
who didn't want to skip school.  
That could've been bad for my reputation.  
_

_Jay: ok then, how about later then?_

_Me: Can't...  
Remember? I work..._

_Jay: Come on Alex, you're no fun...  
Let's go already..._

_Me: Jay! I'm not gonna argue with you on this.  
Go if you want to...  
I'm not stopping you..._

_I left them standing there,  
Staring at my back  
as I walked back inside Degrassi.  
_

----------------------------------------------------------------**TBC**

**Please review if u want changes.  
Thanks for reading.**


	22. Chapter 22: Freak

**A/N: I'm thinking of writing a little about Paige... but i don't want to start from the beginning... so will add Paige's pov as i will feel appropriate.  
this of course is one of those Paige pov chapters... enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: i don't own Degrassi or any of its characters. **

** -----------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Chapter 22: Freak**

_I had a long day today.  
I was working with a class project in the social sciences class,  
and I wanted it to be perfect  
Though,  
It was hard to improve on perfection._

_So I was much relived when it was lunch time.  
Hazel and I went to caf and ordered our usual._

_As we were headed down to our favorite table…  
I saw that girl from yesterday…  
She was alone…  
and had an empty tray in her hand…  
she apparently was done eating  
and was headed to the rack in front._

_Marco had told me her name was Alex something…  
Marco was the best source of information at Degrassi…  
But all he knew about her was that  
She was in some of our classes.  
Not much of a scoop really…_

_I could tell that she wasn't like the usual population of Degrassi…  
And don't quote me on this because I'll deny it…  
But she looked 'pretty' under the rough exterior she had.  
She was definitely the type that could make guys do a double take.  
But was she 'my' competition?_

_NO.  
She had an innocent face with a tan  
Which was devoid of makeup…  
Except for the shiny lip gloss and some eye liner.  
Her hair was combed straight down to her neck.  
She had big loop ear rings, the same as yesterday's.  
Today she was wearing the black tank top as opposed to  
The white one she was wearing yesterday.  
The headphones were carelessly placed around her neck…  
And a pair of sunglasses was hanging on the front of her tank top.  
It was obvious, that she didn't work much on her looks.  
With this attitude,  
There was no way she could ever win the popularity contest…_

_Though I have to admit,  
The argument yesterday may have made Degrassi headlines…  
And again, don't quote me on it…  
She sorta won…  
Not because she defeated me… No  
But because,  
Much to my dismay,  
She was right._

_I shouldn't have gone to talk to Jay…  
It was their right to cheer for whichever team they wanted…  
But my controlling nature had taken over me…  
And I made a bad decision…  
Well that, and the fact that I was angry…_

_I know its no excuse…  
And I'm trying to change some bad habits that I have,  
But these things take time, hon._

_And speaking of Jay…  
How did this girl end up in Jay's group anyway?  
She looks like the type that keeps to herself…  
But something about her just yells … trouble.  
No wonder, she's hanging out with Jay…  
Apple didn't fell far from the tree.  
Well, I 'will' find out about her…  
Through Marco…  
Sooner or later…_

_Okay, change of plan…  
It'd rather be sooner than later…_

_So as me and Hazel got closer to her,  
With our food trays,  
I pushed Hazel to her and  
She almost bumped into Alex with her tray._

_I regretted it as soon as I did it.  
I guess this time;  
It was my curiosity that had taken over me…  
I know 'really bad' excuse,  
I told you, I'm trying to change…  
So stop judging me._

"Watch where you're going…"

_She scowled at Hazel.  
I noticed Hazel's face turning pale.  
First her best friend betrays her  
By pushing her into enemy lines  
And then a girl growls at her._

_**Note to self…**_  
'_**Apologize to Hazel'**_

_I would've thought of a comeback,  
Had I been concentrating on one…  
Because at the moment,  
All I could concentrate on was…_

…_Hazel_  
…_and how scared she looked._

_My best friend,  
My confidante, well not so much of a confidante,  
Due to her spilling nature…_

_Focus Paige focus  
Hazel  
Needs  
Help…_

"No, Watch where you're going…"

_That's all I could muster with the panic I was feeling.  
_

_Why was I feeling panicked?  
Oh right, Hazel turning pale…_  
… _A girl threatening us…_

_I don't know why but 'this girl' didn't look so scary from far away…_  
… _Her innocent face had tricked me.  
I didn't even get a warning…  
Why did I jump into a confrontation with her in the first place?_

_I so regretted that moment.  
It was a Bad idea…  
No, a 'very' bad idea._

_Did she just give me a fleeting look?  
And I'm getting crept out._

"I wasn't talking to you…"

_She was addressing me…  
Still staring at Hazel.  
Poor Hazel…_

_Come on Paige,  
Think of a come back…_

"And I'm not interested in talking to you either."

_Great…  
That's like the worst comeback in history of time._

"Then why are you?"

_And that's one of the best ones I've ever heard.  
Why am I praising her?  
So what if it's a good comeback?  
It was an insult…  
And that too at 'me'._

_**Note to self…**_  
'_**I'm officially a freak'**  
_

_There…  
I've ruined it…  
In less than five minutes…  
For me and my friends.  
What was I thinking messing up with her…?  
Without testing the waters first?_

_It was simple…  
She was the enemy…  
What was I so confused about?_

_May be that's what the problem was…_

_I was rusted…  
By dealing with enemies like…_  
…_Jay Hogart and_  
…_Heather Sinclair_

_I've never had an enemy who was slick …like her…  
The one that makes you praise them…  
Even though they're the enemy…_

_I got distracted.  
Next time,  
I'll be prepared for her.  
And I promise…  
It'll be fun._

"Let's grab a seat Hazel…"  
_I said with a smirk._

**---------------------------------------------- TBC  
**

** thanks for reading...  
if you like, say so, don't like and want changes... say so.**_  
_


	23. Chapter 23: Ellie

**A/N: **Ellie first appeared in chapter 7 and now I've brought her back,  
heck… I gave her a whole chapter… so enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Degrassi or any of its characters, just this fic.

**------------------------------------------------------------- **

**Chapter 23: Ellie**

_Before the MI class I went to the washroom to splash some water on my face.  
No one could say that I had been crying earlier…  
But I couldn't afford to take any chances._

_Amy was supposed to be in all of three remaining classes,  
But I had assumed that she was going to skip,  
In order to attend 'the gig' that Jay was talking about…  
And of course acquire a detention in the process._

_With the bell,  
I walked in and located Mr. Simpson.  
He was a tall,  
Slim built,  
Bald guy,  
With a perky attitude._

"Hey… Alex…"

_Mr. Simpson said locating my name from the papers I had just given him._

"…Please take any seat that's empty".

_And so I did,  
In the corner,  
At the back._

_The students were still coming in so Mr. Simpson came towards me…_

_Mr. Simpson: Alex, this is Ellie… one of my good students…_

_He pointed to a girl sitting next to me…  
Whom I recognized from yesterday.  
She was the one…  
I had asked the way to the office…_

_Mr. Simpson: So you can ask her anything  
And Ellie… This is Alex.  
Just guide her for today,  
And explain what we're working on…_

_Ellie: Sure thing, Mr. Simpson  
So, Alex...  
That's a very nice name._

_She'd said turning towards me.  
I thanked her for the compliment she'd given…_  
…_to my mom?_

_Ellie: so I take it… you found the office… (She said giggling)_

_I gave her a smile as I understood the joke._

_Me: yeah, I did._

_Mr. Simpson's voice interrupted us._

_Mr. Simpson: ok class, settle down…  
We are going to start the chapter on networking today.  
Please open your books to page 184 …_

_He started teaching.  
The class was interesting and  
Ellie helped me with a few things that  
I was having trouble understanding  
While working on the computer…_

_As it turned out,  
Ellie was also in my math and chemistry classes…  
So we left for math class together._

_---------------------------------------------- _

_Mr. Armstrong, the coach, was our math teacher…  
He was expecting me to join his class…  
I was seated behind Ellie._

_The class was on vectors and  
I'd already covered this chapter at Lakehurst…  
So I had no problems following the class itself…_

_But I couldn't help noticing Princess and her gang…  
Raising their hands to answer every single question,  
That Armstrong asked…_

_They were sitting on the left side of the class…  
Princess and gay kid side by side…  
With the bench warmer behind him and  
The sidekick just behind the cheerleader…_

_They sure were a bunch of teacher's pets…  
Or just over enthusiastic…  
I could never tell the two apart…_

_Either way,  
It was pretty irritating…  
Since they were hogging all the attention away  
From the rest of the class.  
As if they were the only ones in the class._

_Armstrong, on the other hand,  
Knew that the bench warmer was the weakest of the group…  
And focused his attention on him more…  
After that he gave us some questions to do in the class…  
And finish the rest at home._

_As the class ended…  
I and Ellie walked towards the door…  
And saw them staring at the both of us…  
Especially Marco…  
He was looking at Ellie…_

_But Ellie didn't stop to talk to them…  
And I just followed her out._

"What was that about?"  
_I asked Ellie as soon as we were out of the room._

"What?"  
_She pretended to be oblivious to what I was asking._

"You know very well what…  
What was with the cold stare that you gave all of them and vice verse?"

_I really didn't have a problem with it…  
In fact I liked how Ellie had behaved with them…  
I assumed she didn't like them either…  
This was good if…  
I was going to be friends with her._

_I already liked Ellie…  
She had a kind of sincerity about her…  
And had a gentle sense of humor…  
Which I admired…_

_And the fact that I, Alex Nunez only knew her for an hour and  
Already was getting along with her was amazing.  
Of course I wasn't gonna tell her that anytime soon.  
For that… I needed to trust her more._

"We had a disagreement…"  
_She'd spilled._

"With…?" I queried.

"Marco…  
We're actually good friends"

"Okay…And why were the others giving you the look then?"  
_I pressed…_

"They don't like me"

_My assumption was correct._

"Then we don't like them either…"

_I consoled her with a smile.  
And she smiled as well hearing my response…  
As we both entered the chemistry class…_

_But to my despair…  
The popular gang was walking the same way._

**------------------------------------------------------- TBC**

**If you like, say so…  
If don't like and want changes… say so**


	24. Chapter 24: Little Compromises

**A/N: **a filler chapter with Ellie, Alex, Paige and her gang. Enjoy.

**pov:** Alex

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Degrassi or any of its characters, just this fic.

**------------------------------------------------------- **

**Chapter 24: Little Compromises**

_Ms. Hatzalikos had asked us to do a lab today…  
And part of it was to finish the write-up for  
This silver nitrate experiment we were to perform in the class.  
Ellie of course was my partner for the lab activity._

_The popular group gave us occasional glares during the lab.  
I'd figured that they detested me as much as I despised them…  
This was fair… though,  
They were in four of my seven classes…  
And it was in our best interest to  
Avoid confrontations with each other as much as possible…_

_The school was big enough place for the both of us…  
I'd decided that I wasn't going to respond unless provoked…_

_I had already made my mark…  
that I was well aware of .  
This whole day,  
I had received looks from kids  
Which told me that they knew I existed…_

_And after witnessing the sidekick's reaction  
with my own eyes…  
There was no need left for any more confirmations…  
If the friend of the most popular girl…  
was scared of me as well…  
Then that's all I needed.  
There was no doubt left that  
I'd acquired the power that I desired. _

_I was enjoying it here  
And was willing to make little compromises  
To not get in any trouble again like Lakehurst.  
I could only hope that they understood this too.  
But until I was sure…  
I had to keep my guard up._

"You know what Alex…

This silver that we're making in this lab can make us rich…"

_Ellie disrupted my thoughts…_

"Yes, it sure can…  
But for that…  
This lab experiment has to work first"

_We both giggled at that…  
And saw some 'popular heads' turn our way._

_Through Ellie, before math class had started...  
I had found out that  
the benchwarmer's name was Gavin  
though he was best known as Spinner…  
funny name…  
but his true distinctiveness was that  
He was Princess Paige's boyfriend._

_That did make sense…  
She was a cheerleader…  
It was stereotypical of hers…  
to have a guy from the team as her boyfriend.  
I just hoped there was another better reason for it.  
_

_The sidekick's name was Hazel…  
And her only role was to be princess' sidekick._

_The gay guy was Paige's best friend…  
But in addition to that…  
He was also her brother's boyfriend._

_I walked out of the school with Ellie,  
We parted ways at the end of Degrassi road…  
From there, she turned the corner  
And I kept walking straight to my apartments._

**------------------------------------------------------- TBC**

**If you like, say so…  
If don't like and want changes… say so  
Next chapter Paige pov. **


	25. Chapter 25: The Huddle

**A/N: **this takes place right after Alex-Paige confrontation in the cafeteria (chapter 22: Freak)  
Enjoy.**  
Pov:** Paige  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own Degrassi or any of its characters, just this fic.

**------------------------------------------------------------------ **

**Chapter 25: The Huddle**

_I and Hazel sat down in the Caf table.  
Spinner and I had spent last evening together after celebrating our victory…  
And yes we'd made out a little after everyone had left.  
So yeah… yesterday was fun._

_Today… was another story…  
I had Stats in the first class…  
which was never good.  
My social science's project was due this Friday  
and there still remained some work  
to be done…  
So in my third spare period…  
I'd gone to the library with Hazel.  
All this had made me very hungry._

_So I was glad that there was no practice this morning  
or during lunch…_

_Don't get me wrong…  
I loved the squad…  
And it was good to get some extra curricular credits…_

_And since we're being honest…  
The squad had contributed a lot in getting me…  
The title of the 'Queen of Degrassi'…  
But I didn't want it to take a toll on my studies._

_We didn't wait for Marco to join us  
because he had an appointment with his dentist  
and was going to join us in the Caf after that._

_I was going to take the first bite from my salad when Hazel spoke…_

"Paige…"

"Yeah? Haze"  
_I'd asked glancing at her;  
Continuing with my Salad._

"That girl…"

_Just then, Marco pulled up a chair and sat beside Hazel._

"Hey guys… What's up?"

"Hey Marco"  
_Hazel and I said together._

"Nothing really…  
Just having lunch…  
How'd your appointment go? Hon"

_This guy made me genuinely happy.  
We had become so much closer these past few months…  
And he had just started dating Dylan…  
I was so happy for both of them._

"Good… got all my teeth..."  
_He said while showing all his braced teeth._

"So what did I miss while I was gone?"

_That was so typical of him…_  
…_Wanting to know every tiny detail that happened_  
…_that he may have missed….  
Guess that's how he stayed informed._

"Nothing except that the social science project is killing me"  
_I sulked_

"Oh come on Paige… don't exaggerate…  
You know…  
you're going to ace it."  
_He tried to cheer me up_

"Thanks Marco"  
_Marco was such a confidence booster._

"Paige… Tell Marco what just happened?"  
_Hazel interjected._

"About what? Hon"  
_I seriously had no idea what she was hinting at._

"The girl…,  
…from the **'pissed squad'**,  
The one…  
we just had a little confrontation session with…"  
_Hazel was obviously annoyed by my ignorance… _

"Who?"  
_Hazel had gotten Marco curious too…_

"Alex."  
_I whispered unconsciously_

"Whoa, what happened?"  
_Marco's eye brows were raised and  
Creases had appeared on his forehead._

"Nothing happened…"  
_I reassured myself more than Marco…_

"Hazel here almost bumped into her…  
And she got really angry at Hazel…  
I just told her to bug off…  
That's all…"

"Paige… that's not what happened…"  
_Haze, obviously,  
had a different take on what had happened._

"Haz… its no biggy…  
We had to do something after what'd happened yesterday.  
It's okay…"_  
I tried to convince her._

"It's not okay… Paige."

"Hazel is right Paige…  
It's not okay…  
Alex is bad news…  
I've heard pretty messed up stuff about her ..."

_Marco was whispering…_  
…_and the secrecy_  
…_was making me and Hazel nervous.  
We hadn't realized but all three of us were now sitting in a huddle formation._

"What kind of stuff?"  
_I wanted to know the nature of 'stuff'…_  
…_that I'd gotten myself into…_

**------------------------------------------------------- TBC**

**Not trying to make a suspense ending of this chapter…  
Just happened by accident.  
Thanks for reading.  
If you like, say so…  
If don't like and want changes… say so**


	26. Chapter 26: Bad Timing

**A/N: **this chapter starts where the previous one was left off...  
Regarding Paige... she does seem to me like the type that gets easily scared...  
even though she pretends to be tougher.  
so excuse me if you don't agree with my views.Enjoy the chapter.

**Pov:** Paige

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Degrassi or any of its characters, just this fic.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter 26: Bad Timing**

"Okay… I've heard... that …"

_Marco paused to take a breath and looked around,  
Making sure that no one else was listening…  
Before he continued…  
almost whispering... _

"She was suspended from her previous school…  
Because she'd almost given a boy, a heart attack.  
Breaking noses,  
Causing people to end up in the emergency room…  
Is no big deal to her…"

_He paused again…  
Looking around once again…_

"… Second period…  
She hurt Emma Nelson pretty bad…"

_Hazel and I were in a shock…  
Our eyes wide open with disbelief…  
This wasn't happening…  
Not here…  
Not at Degrassi…_

"How bad?  
Is she in the hosp…?"  
_I couldn't finish my sentence…  
Suspecting the worst but still asked…_

"No… she's still at school…  
It was their gym class and Ms. H was there…  
That's what saved Emma…  
Otherwise…"  
_He'd paused again for added dramatic effect_

"Just stay out of her way, okay?"

_Both Hazel and I had nodded in affirmation.  
I'd already argued with Alex twice since yesterday…  
What was I thinking…?_

_--------------_

_Fifth period was Math…  
I saw her as soon as I entered the room…  
Sitting at the very back…_  
…_Behind Ellie…_

_Of course, I pretended  
that I didn't know she was in my class.  
_

_She saw us come in and  
Said something to Ellie  
That made Ellie smile.  
I just knew they were talking about me…  
And the thought made me very self conscious._

_Was she the bad-ass that every one was so scared of?  
One who was physically capable of hurting people?  
And could cause you to end up in a hospital?_

_I didn't doubt Marco's info though…  
His sources were good and authentic…  
And I trusted them.  
There was no other option.  
I just had to avoid confrontations with her…_

_-------------_

_So she'd made a friend…  
We all saw as they left math class together…  
Ellie was leading the way…  
And Alex followed her out…_

_Marco, Hazel, Spinner, Jimmy and I…  
All exited the room a little behind them…_

_As we all walked to the organic Chemistry class,  
We saw 'them' entering it as well…_

_She was Ellie's lab partner…  
During the lab Ellie said something to her…  
And they both giggled…_

_I don't know why I always despised Ellie before…  
Even though she was friends with Marco,  
I never gave her a chance.  
And to make matters worst…  
Marco and Ellie recently had an argument and  
They weren't talking to each other …_

_Talk about bad timing._

**------------------------------------------------------- TBC**

**so... this chapter i've written on purpose to explain how gossip travels and how things get manipulated by the time the reach your end.  
Thanks for reading.  
If you like, say so…  
If don't like and want changes… say so  
Next chapter is a sort of Jalex.  
**


	27. Chapter 27: Jay

**A/N: **just to keep things going.

**Pov:** Alex

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Degrassi or any of its characters, just this fic.

**------------------------------------------------------------------ **

**Chapter 27: Jay **

_  
They say time flies when you're having fun…  
That's exactly how this week had passed.  
And it was already Friday lunch hour.  
Amy suggested going to Caf for lunch and I didn't object.  
Jay and Towerz were already sitting at a table…  
We joined them.  
_

"Here comes the bestest student of Degrassi …"  
_Jay commented with a slight smirk as he saw us coming to his table. _

"Shut up Jay…"_  
I said absently sitting down with the food tray. _

"Can I at least ask how your day was then?"  
_Jay asked warily _

"The same as all other days…  
Now quit asking stupid questions..."

_I gave him a look of warning. _

"Okay, sorrrry"

_He apologized to end the argument…  
Drawling on the word sorry…  
Obviously, not meaning it. _

"So we're hitting the ravine a little early today…  
Care to join us?"

_Jay pointed at Amy, changing the topic. _

"I can't,  
I have a detention after school…  
I can't skip"

_Amy said declining the offer. _

"What about you Alex?  
How about after school,  
You still get an hour before work…"

_Jay directed the question at me this time… _

"Yeah,  
And I use it to do homework"

_I gave a short reply. _

"I don't get it Alex…  
You come to school,  
Attend all the classes,  
Work from five till after midnight…  
You're going to ruin the image of this gang.  
What do you do for fun exactly?"

_He'd said it with a smirk…  
Knowing perfectly well that  
My image had only gotten stronger in the last few weeks  
And I was an asset to the gang...  
More than Towerz and Amy anyway… _

"If you have something in mind…  
Besides going to the ravine…  
I'm all up for it"

_I wasn't in the mood to argue…  
That and him state my routines in past few weeks…  
Had made me doubt myself… _

"Now you're talkin'  
How about we meet at your locker …  
After school?"

"I'll be there"

_Jay got up and walked towards the exit…  
On the way,  
He took away the chair from under a kid who was about to sit down...  
And caused him to fall.  
Jay just walked away laughing with Towerz. _

_  
Amy and I both saw them leaving…  
As soon as they were out of sight,  
Amy leaned in…  
Looked around to make sure there was no one listening… _

"Hey Alex..."

_I gave her a questioning look… _

"…What do you think about Jay?"

"What?"_  
I chuckled out of surprise.  
Was she asking me what I thought she was asking me? _

_A smile had appeared on the corner of my mouth…  
Due to the un expectedness of the question. _

"What do you think about Jay?  
Do you like him?"

_She repeated her question thinking it provided more clarity just by repeating it…  
I just rolled my eyes. _

"I've only known him for only a few weeks, Amy"

_I couldn't believe she was asking me this…  
Was this a joke? _

"I know… but…"

"But what?"_I tried really hard to not look irritated  
_

"He likes you…  
He likes you a lot"

"He does…"  
_I said not believing it _

"Yeah, he does  
I've been noticing it since you started coming to this school.  
He pays a lot of attention to you,  
And his whole attitude is different when you're around.  
I've never seen him like this with anyone."

_Was her elaborated answer. _

"So…?"

_She drawled on the word  
Amy obviously wanted answers _

"I don't know Amy…  
I'll have to think about it..."

_I could never be one of those girls  
Who could giggle about this kind of stuff…  
So I just gave Amy an answer to prevent her  
From asking me any more questions…  
Questions that I wasn't prepared to answer … _

_ I needed time to digest all this…  
… Information that was just thrown at me … _

**------------------------------------------------------- TBC**

**If you like, say so…  
If don't like and want changes… say so  
next chapter... some Jay,Ellie, Alex and might add some Paige for fun.  
**


	28. Chapter 28: Easy Way Out

**A/N: continuation of the previous chapter...  
thanks for the reviews. **

**POV:** Alex

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Degrassi or any of its characters, just this fic.

-------------------------------------

**Chapter 28: Easy Way Out**

_What did I think about Jay?  
He 'was' nice to me;  
That I'd noticed…Did I like him?  
I didn't 'dislike' him…  
That was for sure.  
And whatever Amy had told me  
Were the only facts I had. _

_I was starting to feel uneasy …  
I had just lost all my appetite.  
If I didn't know any better,  
I would've said that I was a little scared …  
But exactly of what?  
I had no idea. _

_My stomach was all in knots inside…  
I regretted agreeing to meet Jay after school…  
If only Amy had told me this earlier…  
But now…  
I didn't have much choice but to wait it out. _

_--------------------------- _

_I had MI after lunch…  
I went in…  
Ellie was sitting near the entrance today.  
I pulled the seat beside her,  
and threw myself on the chair…  
causing Ellie to look at me. _

"Are you okay?"

_Ellie looked surprised to see me this way  
_  
"Yeah"

"You don't look so good…"

_she searched my face for some clue. _

"I don't feel good either"

_I'd said honestly…  
Regretting my answer as  
I heard her next question _

"Why, what's wrong?"

_Her concern had changed into worry  
And I wasn't prepared to give her an answer…  
Since even I didn't know what was wrong with me… _

"Nothing… just personal stuff"

_Ellie wasn't the type who poked into other people's personal matters…  
I had figured that much out about her in the past few weeks…  
So saying its personal was  
…The easiest way out. _

"Well, if I can do anything for you,  
Just let me know…  
Okay?"

"Yeah"

_I'd nodded. _

_ Just then I saw 'the populars' entering the class…  
And they were coming directly towards us…  
The sidekick who was in front…  
Had shifted herself to the very end of the line,  
Giving the Princess the lead… _

_ They could not have chosen a worst time to do  
Whatever it was they were coming here to do…  
I was so not in the mood for a confrontation right now. _

"Hey Ellie…  
Please do you and 'your friend'  
mind moving to the back seats…"

_ She had stated her reason for talking to us,  
Pointing at the back.  
_

_There was no arrogance in her voice…  
Which was unusual…  
but today was an unusual day to say the least… _

"Listen Paige…  
We've been through this before…  
Mr. Simpson lets us sit wherever we want…  
on first come basis."

_ Ellie had stated in a matter of fact way.  
I, meanwhile, had tried not to get involved in this conversation…  
I even focused at kids coming thru the door while they were talking.  
Their friend Marco had joined them now  
and was staring at us as well. _

"Listen…Ellie and Alex...  
We just want three seats together for me, Marco and Hazel…"

_There was an empty seat beside me for one of them and two seats at the backside.  
For some reason,  
These three couldn't have separated for this one hour. _

_ The princess was trying to reason with us today?  
Why,  
I couldn't tell.  
But I really wasn't in the mood to accept this offer,  
Nor was I in the mood to discuss this any further. _

"We're not moving"

_I had said harshly and loudly than I wanted to,  
Looking at straight at her…  
In order to deliver the message that way…  
If she'd missed it when I said it…  
Ignoring the pleading eyes of the Princess. _

_ She didn't argue,  
Just held Hazel's hand and dispersed towards the empty seats  
At the back of the room.  
Leaving Marco to take the seat next to me. _

"That was easy…"

_Said Ellie looking at me with a surprise…  
I thought the same but didn't say anything. _

_ ---------------------------- _

_ I had skimmed thru all my classes after lunch.  
I wasn't able to concentrate in math either,  
A class I'd enjoyed until now… _

_ I couldn't wait for school to be over today…  
But scared at the same time…  
For when it'd be over…  
If that made any sense?  
I knew something wasn't right …  
But I didn't know what it was… _

_ I had put my hood up  
And had waited for the chemistry class to be over.  
It was a relief that Ellie was there with me…  
To alert me if the teacher was looking. _

_ There's a saying that _

**_'One does not make friends,  
One recognizes them.' _**

_Soon the chemistry class was over…  
And it was the end of the school day… _

_ Ellie: So you're gonna walk home with me? _

_ Me: No, I have to take care of something… _

_ Ellie: but you're not feeling so good...  
Can't it wait?  
Whatever it is that you're doing… _

_ Me: Don't worry  
I'll be okay. _

_ Ellie: Call me when you get home…  
Okay? _

_ Me: will do. _

_ Ellie left looking me strangely with worried eyes.  
She waved goodbye at me as she reached the end of the hallway. _

_ I went to wait by my locker.  
I was still not feeling good. _

_ Jay and Towerz showed up as planned  
Exactly 15 min after the school was over. _

**------------------------------------------------------- TBC**

**Appreciate if you review.  
If you like, say so…  
If don't like and want changes… say so  
Next chapter Jalex.**


	29. Chapter 29: Felony

**answer questions from **

Dorex's : "…geat chapter, liking Ellie very much, a question, is this anyway near king of pain? … wait to see that, and cant wait to see your writing of queen of hearts, I think there's where they deep their friendship... shame there's not Jalex anymore then... anyways :p. Can't wait for the next chap. And... another question, more Palex interaction soon?..."

'roos: still trying to go slow …  
Once we get to king of pain...trust me... my story will only go downhill.  
It'll be difficult to create more creativenesses from what Degrassi writers have given us...  
so trying to delay my story's demise.  
Will try for more Palex though… but first bear with me with Jalex.

**A/N: **small chapter for a build up for Jalex.

**POV:** Alex

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Degrassi or any of its characters, just this fic.

-------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter 29: Felony **

"Hey… Are you ready?"

_Jay inquired as he approached me.  
_

"What's the plan?"

_I asked trying to focus at the present  
Ignoring the new information  
That I'd received through Amy earlier this day  
_

"Oh just little something…"

_He better be building up the suspense for some good reason,  
I thought.  
_

_Jay led us through the corridor…  
Towerz and I followed him,  
Until, we were in the gym  
_

"What are we doing here?"

_I couldn't understand what we could possibly be here for.  
I had a hunch about what kind of activities Jay was involved in…  
But the gym was the last place I'd imagined being in  
_

"Jay…  
Don't tell me I waited out for you after school,  
So we can steal some Pom Poms."

_I couldn't help the sarcasm.  
The suspense wasn't amusing me either  
_

"You'll find out soon enough…"  
_Was all he muttered  
_

"Well… it better be worth it."  
_I warned him in an annoyed tone  
_

_Jay had walked to the change room and,  
with a key,  
Had managed to open the door to the store inside…  
He waved to us to follow him in…  
…Which we did. _

_He grabbed the storage bag from one of the closets,  
And started filling it up with the baseball bats, hockey and lacrosse sticks;  
and basketballs…  
He gestured with his face for us to do the same…  
Towerz grabbed a bag and tossed it towards me…  
I started filling it with some more sporting goods.  
_  
"Hurry, let's go…"

_He said two minutes after opening the door for me and Towerz…  
We both exited the store room taking fast spaced steps…  
Towerz led us outside and soon we were putting this stuff in Jay's car…  
Which was parked on the back side of school  
_

_I took my seat at the back sub-consciously  
And soon we were on the road  
_

"That was fun…  
Wasn't it Alex?"

_He'd asked me looking in the rear view mirror…  
I chose not to answer him  
_

_A tornado of confusion was building up inside my head…  
And my brain was now stuffed with all the questions  
That I'd been asking myself  
Since after lunch with Amy earlier  
_

"You don't look so good… Alex?  
You sure… You're alright?"

_He sounded concerned …  
still observing me through the rear view mirror… _

"I'm dropping you off at your place…  
Is that okay?"

_He'd given up waiting for my answers  
And had made the decision for me. _

_ I walked upstairs not in any hurry…  
I still had plenty of time to get ready  
And mull over all that had happened today… _

**------------------------------------------------------- TBC **

**Appreciate if you review.  
If you like, say so…  
If don't like and want changes… say so  
Next chapter Paige POV. **


	30. Chapter 30: Growth

**A/N: ok so this is the 30th chapter and exactly a month since i started this fic.  
**

just thought that chap 30 should belong to Paige...  
someone mentioned that i should tell why paige is a bitch since i've been telling why Alex is the way she is...  
but i thought that instead i should tell what turned paige from a bitch to a nicer person or someone who tries to be nicer now...  
there isn't too much detail... i've saved some stuff for future.

**POV:** Paige

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Degrassi or any of its characters, just this fic, so don't sue me.

**--------------------------------------------------------------------- **

**Chapter 30: Growth **

I unlocked the door of my house and entered it.  
It was pretty quiet as I had assumed.  
I poured myself a glass of orange juice  
as I sat down on the couch in the living room…  
Picking up the remote,  
I turned the TV on with  
no intention of actually watching it.  
As I let my mind wander off…

_My first day of eighth grade…  
How happy and excited I was…  
I had started the 'spirit squad' …  
How Mrs. Kwan had appreciated it…  
How it had helped me get my queen status at Degrassi ...  
_

_Almost at the end of the year,  
There was a party at Ash's and she had taken ecstasy  
And had called me a hag._

_I couldn't believe how hurt I was by that comment.  
I knew that people thought that I was a stuck up person…  
But even then I had feelings too.  
Ash was so insensitive…  
And I had given her a cold freeze for five months  
before forgiving her.  
I was glad that our friendship had only grown stronger with time.  
She had become one of those friends I could always rely on...  
_

_I can vividly remember when I tricked Terri into thinking  
that I didn't have a life line on my palm and  
that my days were numbered…  
And had made her do my assignment for me…  
and that song we'd written together…  
Poor thing...  
_

_Dean…  
He'd come to our school  
And I'd agreed to meet him at the house party later.  
_

_That day turned out to be one of the most horrible and painful memories of my life.  
He'd come and had tried to ruin everything...  
_

_Initially I pretended that nothing happened…  
But soon the reality had set in.  
Before I blamed myself but  
several sessions with Ms. Suvaé…  
I had realized that none of it was my fault…  
I 'd said no…  
_

_I had taken the decision of taking him to the court…  
Even though there wasn't enough evidence to convict him…  
But my decision was made not for myself but for others…  
I wanted to scare him so much that  
He wouldn't think of doing this to anyone else.  
_

_That whole incident had left me to re-evaluate my life…  
I grew up after that…  
I grew up a lot and fast.  
_

_I had gained insight into myself all of a sudden_  
_ I had literally learned about the consequences of my actions...  
I had begun to see things that I hadn't even noticed before...  
_

_It'd made me appreciate the kindness I received  
from J.T., Spinner, Ashley, Terri and Hazel…  
How my friends had stood by me in my time of need and  
How I had made some new ones in the process…  
_

_Being popular was important to me still but not  
at the expense of something more important like my friends..._

_This Paige was very different from the one a couple years ago...  
the one who thought that responsibility of making people feel miserable...  
rested on her little shoulders._

_This Paige, on the other hand,  
could enjoy the little crush that J.T. had on her...  
he'd almost asked me to go to the dance last year  
and if he had...  
__I would've certainly said yes and have gone to the dance with him._  
_ I had learned that little gestures like these went a long way…_

_These little changes that I had made in myself…  
Had brought me even closer to those I loved…  
And it'd made me happy.  
_

I now regretted being rude to Ellie  
during the whole Marco fiasco...  
And wished I could get another chance at that…  
Making amends with her...

Don't get me wrong…

The old Paige still existed inside me and  
She could recuperate whenever I wanted her to  
But was just a little tamed now than before …  
Was a little more sensitive…

_"We're not moving" __  
_

Her words...  
were so intense...  
and cruel...

She brought a feeling of uneasiness inside me for some reason…  
Those anger filled eyes could pierce right through anyone.  
She could vaporize you with just one of those glances of hers…

The mystery about her was what drew me towards her…  
What was her story?... why was she like this?

Those smooth comebacks of hers were distracting…  
And even a little intimidating...

And the fact that she was friends with Jay confused me;  
Now knowing about her past school and 'the cause girl' incidence…  
I was a bit afraid… yeah I said it!  
That's why I didn't argue with her today…  
Marco had told me to stay away  
and I was going to try my best to do so.  
That was better for both of us.

It was Friday already…  
And I'd nothing planned for the weekend…  
I decided to get on with it… so I turned off the TV and  
headed upstairs to grab the phone…

**------------------------------------------------------- TBC**

**Appreciate if you review.  
If you like, say so…  
If don't like and want changes… say so  
Next chapter back to Alex pov and Ellie for comical relief.**


	31. Chapter 31: Friendly Advice

**answering a review...**

thanking palex lover for the review...

**QUOTE** Anyway, I am trying to stick with your fic because of where you  
are going. I have to say not too thrilled to read about Jalex. On the one hand  
it seems like it's taking forever to take to palex, on the other hand, I hope  
you spend as much time on that as you have on the background. I'd love a real  
slow build up particularly as it concerns how Paige seex Alex as they become  
friends. 

Anyway, what I am finding interesting is your take on the Jalex so far. I  
think, correct me if I am wrong, you've taken a real look at the fact that  
Alex sees herself as a lesbian. With that in mind, I notice that she doesn't  
seem to have this strong attraction to Jay. In fact, she's quite puzzled by  
his attraction to her. She seems reluctant to go there with him. Anyway, I'll  
keep reading, in hopes that there is a Palex some day!

**and my reply:**  
thanks for reviewing...  
yeah so... I've taken very long i know, and i apologize for that...  
my whole point when i started this fic was to write about paige and alex and how their relationship progressed from enemies to friends and eventually to being gfs.  
so since both of them were dating guys before this...  
i felt a need to establish that...  
so thats what I'm working on.  
hopefully things will speed up once the back ground is all set.

and to answer ur question regarding Alex's feelings towards jay...  
I've written chapter 31 already that deals with Alex's confusions...  
but it will take her some time to really figure the jay thing out...  
but since we already know the future...  
she will date him...  
hope to get more insightful reviews from u...  
and hope you will keep reading in hopes of Palex...  
because I'm writing in hopes that there will be a Palex.  
ciao  
'roos.

**-------------------------------------------------------  
**

**A/N: **Ellie for comic relief... hope you like it

**POV:** Alex

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Degrassi or any of its characters, just this fic, so don't sue me.

-------------------------------------------

**Chapter 31: Friendly Advice**

_It wasn't like I hadn't dated guys before…  
I had._

_But that was such a casual dating that  
It could easily have been called friendship or hanging out  
With a few make out sessions.  
That's all it had ever been._

_I just never felt anything more for most of them  
And that's why I knew what I was feeling right now  
was different._

_I had never been in love…  
and that was a fact.  
And what I was feeling for Jay couldn't have been love  
Because I barely knew him._

_Yes he was nice to me…  
We had established that much…_

_But I'm not the kind of person who falls head over heels in love  
with someone they barely know._

_But then could someone please tell me what 'it' really is that I 'am' feeling?  
Gosh I'm going nuts…_

_So do I like him?  
I don't know…  
but I need to find out…  
soon…_

_-----------------------------_

_I grabbed the phone _  
And reassessed my thoughts for a moment...  
Amy was Jay's friend and pretty biased about this whole thing...  
_so Ellie was definitely the best choice  
as I'd considered earlier.  
I dialed Ellie's phone number…_

"Ellie,  
Hi…  
I just thought I should give you a call…  
Since you asked me to…"

_Okay did that just come out like I was doing 'her' a favor?  
I should try to control my attitude when talking to friends…  
Hold on she's asking questions…_

"Yes I'm feeling much better now..."

"Yeah probably some stomach flu thing or something…"

"No, no fever…"

"No I don't think I need to rest…  
I'm feeling fine"

"Listen … Ellie…  
Would you let me talk at least?"

_My voice had now raised an octave_

"No, I'm not angry at you…" _ just frustrated_

"I'm sorry…"

"Yes… I was meaning to talk to you about something…"

_But now I've lost the courage._

"I think I should get that rest after all…  
before work"

"I will…  
Yeah talk to you later…  
Bye…"

_Great  
I'm meeting the gang tomorrow for the movie  
And I have no idea how I feel about Jay.  
Tomorrow will definitely be awkward.  
But right now…  
I should get ready for work._

_-----------------------------_

_Work was going good …  
but there used to be a lot of school crowd…_

_I preferred keeping a low profile  
Since there was always a chance of getting recognized  
by someone whom I had bugged  
during the span of my on-going school life._

_And now there was twice the chance of getting recognized  
Since kids from both Lakehurst and Degrassi used to come here._

_Mostly they didn't care who was serving them popcorn  
But once in a while I used to get a glance of recognition  
from a student or a teacher…_

_Mr. Simpson and his wife were a regular here…_

_All I knew was that I couldn't afford to get fired from here  
and I had tried to be on my best behavior.  
_**  
**

**------------------------------------------------------- TBC**

**totally working on making chap 32 a jay alex and paige chapter...  
there's definitely a rendezvous planned.  
tell me if u don't want that and i'll stop.  
**


	32. Chapter 32: Movie Theater

**A/N: I know most of us don't like Jalex…  
but it had to be done in order to progress the story…  
I really think that the reason my story was stalling so much especially lately,  
was because I was trying to figure out how to introduce Jalex.  
So I've worked hard on this chapter…  
And have tried to incorporate it all in one chapter in order to make it less painful for all Palex fans out there…  
I've even inserted some Paige in it to level things a bit.  
Which has made the chapter a little longer than usual, probably my longest one so far,  
so don't get used to it.  
I apologize in advance for this being a Jalex chapter… but still hope you enjoy, even if you don't like.  
Wanna thank the reviewers to push me to stop stalling… dorex, anexandra, tmcluver and palexlover.**

**POV: My first try at mixing up Paige and Alex POV.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi or any of its characters, just this fic, so don't sue me.**

**-----------------------------------------------------**

**Chapter 32: Movie Theater **

_I had set my alarm clock to wake me up at eight  
so I could take my time getting ready for the long Saturday…  
I had been planning for past week.  
I turned the alarm off quickly  
So to not wake up the rest of the house…  
I got out of bed promptly and  
headed to take a shower  
in the washroom that I shared with Dylan._

_Getting ready always took me an hour and the rest of the hour  
I had reserved for breakfast and getting to the mall.  
There was a sale today at the mall and  
I'd told Hazel to meet me there at ten sharp…  
that's when they opened the gates to the mall._

_I had a long list of winter items that I was interested in  
and we all know that you only get what you want if…  
you get to a sale before all the good stuff is gone._

_Mom had agreed to drop me off there as  
she needed the car afterwards to run her own errands  
that she ritualistically completed on a Saturday with Dad._

_---------------------------------------_

_Sleep had come easy to me last night  
but morning was earlier than I wanted it to be.  
I rubbed my eyes trying to focus …  
and looked around for the source of the disturbance  
that had caused me to wake up earlier than I wanted to.._

_I checked the time;  
it was nine o'clock… still early for a Saturday I thought.  
I was never a morning person especially on weekends…  
I pulled the covers off of me and  
headed to the washroom in an auto-pilot mode._

_It was pretty quiet in our little apartment…  
And to my relief the only washroom of my house was vacant and untouched.  
Locking the doors behind me,  
I took my brush and headed to the showers.  
A hot shower on a cold winter morning was every bit worth it._

_The only time that I planned anything was during my shower time  
and that too was limited to the activities of the day ahead.  
'I'm supposed to meet Amy and the gang  
around noon outside the movie theater and then  
have lunch after the movie.'_

_----------------------------------------_

_When I got to the kitchen,  
rest of the family was already there to greet me…  
_  
"Hi Mom, Dad…"  
_  
I said in one go as I walked towards my mom to give her a kiss.  
Noticing that Dylan was dressed and ready.  
_  
"…Dylan, What are you doing up?"

"Practice Sis…  
In fact, I'm already running a little late…  
My car won't start…probably because of the weather...  
So I thought that Mom can drop me off as you guys are headed out …  
If that's okay with you…"

"Take a breath Dylan; I'm sure it'll be okay with Paige… Paige?..."

_Mom tried to loosen up Dylan as she looked at me for approval.  
_  
"Sure Dylan, no problem."

"So Honey, do you also want me to pick you up from the mall?"

_Mom asked me as I took huge bites of the pancake with big gulps of coffee.  
_  
"No Mom,  
Hazel has a ride and  
She'll drop me off before dinner…  
I'll give you a call if I need you to pick me up…  
Thanks for asking though"

"We should go…"

_I said rinsing my plate and putting it in the sink._

_-------------------------------------------_

_I was out of the house at eleven sharp…  
after having a bowl of cereal and  
watching X-Men the next generation while eating._

_Walking to the mall I patted myself, in my head, for bundling up,  
…considering how cold the October weather was getting.  
I had left a note for my mom that I might be late.  
But from what it seemed like…  
Mom and Chad weren't going to be up anytime soon…_

_I had accepted Chad to be my mom's boyfriend…  
and was trying to get along with him  
since I really didn't have any other choice.  
But we were still on the initial stages of  
getting used to each other and  
mostly it was very awkward._

_Hurray, I was back in the mall with in 10 hours…  
...just what I needed…  
A change of scenery…  
If it were any constellation,  
I was a customer today and not an employee._

_I headed to the designated spot  
…which was our set meeting place…  
there still was another half an hour until noon…_

_--------------------------------------_

"Its 11:30 and we almost have everything that we wanted to buy…  
See that's why I told you to come early…"

"Paige…  
there was nobody in the mall when we came here…  
Don't you think that's a little creepy that  
We showed up before the Janitor…?"

"Oh come on Hazel… you're exaggerating and you know it;  
Besides if you want something bad enough…

You should at least be able to work for it…"

"Don't get me wrong Paige…  
I love shopping…  
and I don't mind losing some sleep over it…  
But sometimes you really need to take it easy."

"…and why should I change something that works for me?"

"Okay Paige… there's no winning from you…  
We're almost at the food court…  
Do you wanna get something to drink…"

"That's a good idea…  
I'm beat with carrying all this stuff around anyway…  
Some rest will do me good…"  
_  
We walked to the nearest table and dumped all the bags…  
Some on the chairs and some on the table in front of us…  
As we were about to sit down…  
_  
"And look who we have here…  
Queen of Degrassi with  
Her bestest friend…"  
_  
His voice caused us to stop and turn around…  
He was standing a couple of feet away from us…  
Along with his 2 friends.  
A smirk firmly plastered on his smug face…_

_So I didn't want to see his face on the weekends…  
But we were in the mall…  
And it was a hot spot for most kids of Degrassi…  
So avoiding meeting people like him wasn't really an option._

_---------------------------------------_

_Sitting here in the food court outside the theater...  
For past ten sorry eleven minutes…  
I saw Jay, Amy and Towerz…  
Standing at a table not too far from mine._

_I felt relieved that they had decided to show  
earlier than the designated hour  
And had saved me a wait of another nineteen minutes…  
I stood up and started walking towards their table._

_Closing in to where they were standing,  
I realized that they were, in fact,  
talking to the head cheer leader…  
with the sidekick by her side..._

_'Didn't expect her here…' I thought to myself.  
'On second thought…why not?  
She probably lived here considering how she dressed…  
But I hadn't seen her here before,  
…which was odd …  
_  
"It's a self service…  
So we won't need you...  
But thanks for asking..."  
_  
I heard her usual arrogant mannerism as she sat down.  
Apparently an answer to something that Jay had said earlier…  
Jay tried to ignore the comment._

_There were shopping bags on their table and two of the chairs…  
So obviously they'd been shopping.  
I decided to join in this conversation.  
_  
"Did you wake up at Dawn?  
or was it the excitement of going shopping  
that kept you up all night?"  
_  
I said the last part flaunting my hands in the air imitating the excitement.  
I noticed that the element of surprise always worked in her case.  
She looked at me comprehending my presence...  
_  
"Jay, you _'have'_ to tell me the secret  
Of _'how'_ your accomplices appear,  
just when you need them..."  
_  
She said smirking.  
Pretty nice comeback, I'd have to say.  
_  
"I can certainly tell you about the disappearing acts of mine,  
If you're interested…"  
_  
Jay said smirking as he led us into anther direction…  
Leaving them confused to his last comment…  
Which they will probably figure out on Monday…_

_-------------------------------------_

_Making sure we'd walked far away from them…  
I turned to Jay…  
_  
"Why did you have to say that?"

"What…?  
Oh that…?  
Come on, It's no big deal …  
They won't figure it out…

And even if they do… they won't say it.  
Besides what's the fun in doing something…  
When you won't even get credit for it?...

Which reminds me …  
I made the sale of the goods and  
have everyone's share with me…

So which movie are we watching?"  
_  
We ended up watching Matrix Revolutions  
although I didn't care much for the sequels…  
Then we had lunch and  
we hung around the mall until six o'clock.  
It started getting chilly after that  
so Jay drove us home._

_Just as I was about to get out of the car…  
I leaned in and  
gave Jay a peck on the lips…  
_  
"Thanks for today"  
_  
I said as I hurried out of the car,  
Not looking back,  
Leaving him in the wonder of what had just happened.  
_**  
------------------------------------------------------- TBC**

**I don't know why Alex would do such a thing?  
you'll find out hopefully in next few chapters...  
so now I have that out of the way.**

**Appreciate if you review.  
If you like, say so…  
If don't like and want changes… say so**

**Next chapter unfortunately, may be some Jalex.**


	33. Chapter 33: Deja Vu

**answering Dorex:  
sorry to disappoint u,  
i dont think my usual chapters will be this long...  
only if the plot demands it.  
enjoy ur jalex. ;)  
-------------------------------------- **

**A/N: continuing where I left off.**

**POV: Alex**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi or any of its characters, just this fic, so don't sue me.**

**---------------------------------------**

**Chapter 33: Déjà Vu**

_Three more weeks had passed  
and I was finally beginning to feel that I belonged with them…  
We were hanging out a lot more than before.  
I had become more comfortable with them…  
And our friendship had become stronger and trusting._

_Jay had shown me where he lived with his mom  
who wasn't much better than mine as far  
as her drinking habits were concerned._

_He never knew his dad…  
and had a very similar childhood to mine…  
because of our very similar circumstances;  
except now he had better sources of income...  
and unlike me, he could afford a car._

_After what Amy had told me,  
I had taken a clear notice of Jay's behavior towards me…  
It didn't take me long to confirm that  
Jay liked me…  
But  
I still had to figure out how I felt…  
And I definitely needed more time to explore my feelings._

_To find out what that little kiss meant… and why I'd done it?  
I didn't want that moment that happened three weeks ago,  
to decide things for me…_

_I hadn't discussed this with Ellie, Amy or anyone for that matter.  
I knew it was a decision that I had to make myself._

_Jay hadn't mentioned anything either…  
And he knew better than that  
to bring up the kiss again..._

_Today being Thursday, the movie matinée day,  
I was supposed to be at work earlier than usual  
and I'd asked Jay to drop me off to work.  
So when he asked me  
If he could come up and wait at my apartment...  
while I drop my bag off and change to work clothes…  
I didn't refuse._

_--------------------------------_

_The sounds of my Mom and Chad fighting could be heard across the hall...  
Climbing upstairs with Jay,  
I felt a little embarrassed…  
But it was too late now to turn around…  
We were only a few feet away from my apartment._

_Not being able to assess the situation inside…  
I unlocked the door turning towards Jay…  
_  
"Would you mind waiting outside Jay?"

"Alex, its okay…  
I can handle it…"  
_  
He reassured me with his words and a smile…  
Not a smirk… a real smile…_

_Still anxious…  
almost peeking inside to locate them,  
I opened the door wider.  
I saw Chad sitting on the dinning table  
and Mom standing two feet away from him.  
_  
"I told you to shut up Emily…  
I do plenty and I deserve a day off so  
why don't you leave me alone  
and find something else to yell about."  
_  
When my Mom and her boyfriend fought,  
I could never really tell where they would be  
and what stage the argument would be at..._

_Almost a little relieved that it hadn't gotten physical 'yet' and  
That Chad was still sitting on a chair,  
I advanced into the living room.  
_  
"Hi Mom"  
_  
My addressing her  
caused her to turn towards me…  
and the surprise of Jay walking up right behind me…  
Amiably interrupted whatever it was,  
that she was about to shout at Chad.  
_  
"Oh Hi,  
Lexi…  
How was school?"  
_  
Ok that was creepy how she suddenly changed the topic…  
Yup that's my Mom,  
Emily Nunez for you._

_As mom was staring at Jay,  
he walked up to my mom…  
With his hand outstretched for a hand-shake.  
_  
"Hi,  
I'm Alex's friend … Jason Hogart... 'Jay'  
It's very nice to meet you… Ms. Nunez."  
_  
Leaving my mom motionless, at this formal introduction,  
he took her hand and shook it...  
Then his focus turned to Chad...  
who'd, having more time to digest this,  
had turned towards Jay in his chair,  
Assuming that Jay must be a good friend  
to know the whereabouts of our apartment,  
Chad had adequately returned the smile  
that Jay had given him._

_Seeing the situation was much under control…  
Feeling relieved,  
I ran into my room to change...  
Barely managing to suppress the smile that had appeared on my face._

_It was a little strange seeing how Jay had turned this whole encounter  
into something bearable in a matter of just a few seconds.  
'It was impressive.'  
I thought while I quickly changed._

"Let's go Jay… I don't wanna be late…"  
_  
Almost regretting to be the one  
ending this Jay fascination of Mom and Chad,  
I quickly walked out pulling Jay with me.  
_  
"I'll see you later then, I guess…" _  
He yelled as he was dragged through the door._

"Bye Jay." _They both had said in chorus._

"See I told you… I could handle it…"

_Now he smirked.  
I only smiled implausibly walking towards his car…_

_Before I knew it, we were stopping in front of the mall…  
I realized that I had zoned out through out the car ride._

_Jay ritualistically asked me  
If I wanted to be picked up after work...  
Which I refused._

_Leaving the car,  
A feeling of severe déjà vu took over me,  
As I turned to Jay.  
_  
"Would you like go to the Dot with me on Saturday?  
May be we can have lunch or something…"

"Yeah sure"  
_  
He'd replied doubting what he'd just heard…  
and I hurried out leaving him confused once again  
with what I think was my bizarre behavior._

**------------------------------------------------------- TBC**

**Appreciate if you review.  
If you like, say so…  
If don't like and want changes… say so  
Next chapter I don't know yet.  
**


	34. Chapter 34: The Reason

**A/N: some more Jalex.  
Continuing where the last chap ended.**

POV: Alex

Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi or any of its characters, just this fic, so don't sue me.

----------------------------

Chapter 34: The Reason__

We were officially together for three months now.  
He was one of those few people who understood me somewhat  
and I'd developed a care for him.  
Our relationship was based on friendship that had evolved  
into a trust of 'you watch my back and I watch yours' kind.

We could goof around one minute;  
or exchange our deepest secrets with each other, the next,  
without worrying about any façade that either of us had to live up to.

he was never the most sensitive person on the planet…  
but I understood him;  
and could see passed the Jay that everyone else saw.

…'We were the same'  
Like me, sometimes he acted like a very angry and roguish person…  
when underneath we both were two scared and insecure individuals…  
who were trying to get by the same pressures that everyone else faced…

Like most relationships,  
ours had also started out with a date but then  
realizing that dating couldn't be our thing  
with me, working on weekdays and weekend shifts if I could…  
and Jay wanting to be at the ravine all the time which really wasn't my thing…  
so we had compromised by hanging out a lot  
during school hours or right after,  
and juggle in as much time we could during the weekends.

Jay also made it a habit to pick and drop me off at work  
which was one of his kindest gestures...  
to let me know that he cared.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was one of those cold January nights with some snow on the grass  
and some melting on the sidewalk making a thin sheet of ice…  
Jay's car had stopped in front of my apartment building,  
the entrance to which shined by the reflection of light  
falling on the wet and icy sidewalk.  
Just looking at it, made me quiver,  
Making me appreciate the warmth of Jay's car.

I was tired because of work but relieved that it was late…  
both Mom and Chad would probably be asleep by now…  
and I could go to my room without any living room confrontations…  
heck, I might even consider reading that history chapter that was my homework.

I was about to open the door of the car and get out  
when he had surprised me by his random question…

What had happened at Lakehurst?  
the reason why I was kicked out of there...

My body suddenly had lost the feeling of relief that it was feeling earlier  
And was replaced by uneasiness.  
I only realized how tense I had become by Jay's question  
when he placed his arm around the back of my shoulders relaxing me …

Not able to understand why he was asking me this …  
what I didn't want to remember but couldn't forget either…  
…Being one of those things that you witness in your life and  
unwillingly, they become part of your memories that you can never loose.  
The ones that play an integral role in making you what you are,  
and influence the way you think or act...  
And trust me I had plenty of those memories safely stored in my head.

Realizing I would tell him this one day anyway…  
today was as good as any…

Jay gave me a nod of reassurance…  
Encouraging me to go ahead…  
And then I'd told him the story of that day,  
That turned out to be my last day at Lakehurst…

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was one of those evenings just before the dance…  
A dance that I couldn't go to even if I didn't have to work  
because I didn't have the kind of money to waste on the dress code for the night.

Trying hard not to be bitter about the dance,  
I had taken an extra long shower than usual after my gym class.   
It was the end of the day and I'd decided to go to work directly from the school  
which gave me plenty of time to walk to work.

The gym was prepped for a dance welcoming the new 9th graders…  
As I exited the change room which opened into the gym,  
I noticed some students were still working on the decorations,  
Giving the gym, the final touches for the night…

Exiting through the back door of school,   
which was usually abandoned fairly quickly after school,  
was not so quiet this evening…  
Brad, a sleazy guy with a bad reputation with whom I shared a few of my classes with, and a girl, 9th grader whose name I didn't know,  
were standing a few feet away from the door in an embrace…  
feeling someone's presence they had quiet down a little…

Ignoring them, I fast paced towards the sidewalk,  
I was at twenty feet distance from them  
when I heard the girl telling the guy that she had changed her mind…  
her voice was strong and uncomforting.

I usually don't interfere in people's private matters…  
But having heard very familiar sounds from my mom,  
I involuntarily stopped only to hear Brad telling her to shut up…

With a sudden urge to make sure she was going to be fine…  
I turned around and started walking back towards them  
and saw Brad holding her still pressing his body onto her;  
one hand was holding her arms  
and the other was covering her mouth…  
now there was no question about what was going on…

Not able to control my instinctive anger I rushed to them…  
Grabbed Brad's shoulders, with all the strength that I could muster,  
and pulled him off her, shoving him to the side…  
he hadn't seen me coming and wasn't prepared to counter my physical strength …  
he got off balance and fell to the ground.  
  
"Hey… are you okay?"  
_I addressed her_

"yeah" _  
she barely answered me and then ran inside the school…  
_  
"Why the hell did you do that for? Bitch…"  
_Brad yelled standing up on his feet rubbing his shoulder and neck, trying to grasp the situation._

"No! What the hell were you doing? With that girl…"  
_I yelled back at him with every word full of scorn_

"You should know better and mind your own damn business…"

"and 'you' should know better and listen to people when they tell you something…  
she's too young for you…  
leave her alone…" _I warned him…_

"How about you then…?   
You're the right age…"   
_He said suggestively as a smirk appeared on the side of his lips…  
He'd recovered completely from what had happened just five minutes ago._

Desperately trying to hide the nausea I was now having…  
my brain worked overtime to think of a plan…  
an uncontrollable smirk appeared on my face as I thought of one…  
which he took as a smile of affirmation…  
  
"I have to work tonight… how about tomorrow? …  
… at Lunch hour? Meet you in the school's parking?"

"I'll be waiting…"

"See ya then…"   
_I waved to him as I left for work…  
Thinking Brad was going to get a surprise of the lifetime tomorrow…_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I'd called a friend from work and arranged to have fire crackers placed in Brad's car just before the lunch hour…  
And got myself good seats at lunch hour to watch the show…

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Brad obviously connected the dots and gave the principal my name as the person responsible for the firecracker incidence.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jay and I were laughing our heads off by the time I ended my story…  
Now repeating it to Jay,  
It wasn't as painful as I thought it would be…

I gave Jay a kiss as I left his car,  
suddenly losing the sense of warmth I was feeling earlier…  
as I walked on the icy sheet on the way to my apartment building.  
**  
------------------------------------------------------- TBC**

Appreciate if you review.  
If you like, say so…  
If don't like and want changes… say so  
Next chapter I don't know yet. 


	35. Chapter 35: The Rush

**A/N: finally S3.**

POV: Alex

Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi or any of its characters, just this fic, so don't sue me.

-----------------------------------

Chapter 35: The Rush

See that guy Jay? One hundred percent… pure psycho  
See that chic? A walking, talking pile of bad news …

_The goofy kid from tenth grade, sitting on the front steps of Degrassi,  
was briefing his two friends about Jay and I, boosting our ego, in turn._

Jay parked the car in front of Degrassi and we walked up the stairs.  
As we passed them, Jay snatched the picture portraits from Toby's hands…  
  
"Hey, give those back…"  
_He'd cried_

The guy Amy liked,  
rescued the portraits back for Toby, confronting Jay …  
which irritated both Jay and I equally.  
  
"Who are you? His bodyguard?"

"His friend"  
_He'd replied…_

Neither Jay nor I liked early morning confrontations  
but considering 'we could deal with this later',  
we walked inside as the bell rang…  
Me to my M.I. class and the rest of them to theirs.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It's amazing what you can find out by just listening to people…  
even if you don't want to, they keep yapping anyway…  
  
Spinner: Okay, so we're all set for Paige's party?  
Ashley: Don't worry secret agent, party planner, boyfriend, I'm on it.  
_  
…interesting, a surprise party…  
… May be something we could gatecrash? …  
_  
Spinner: okay, parents still leaving Dodge?  
Ashley: check  
Spinner: curfew extended?  
Ashley: I tried okay… but one o'clock is the best I could get…  
My mom's over protective since my last party.  
_  
… I guess she doesn't know that 'over protective' is just another word  
for 'parents not trusting their children'.  
What one o'clock, that's it?  
What kind of a kiddy party is this?  
I bet there will be drink restrictions too…  
Okay, definitely not our kind of party...  
_  
Paige: Good morning oldest friend in the world and fabulous boyfriend…  
What on earth are you guys talking about?  
_  
Hold on, what was that? I'm impressed.  
…unlike the stereotypical belief about cheerleaders,  
…this 'smart' one has it all figured out...  
…but she's pretending along …  
and the dud boyfriend and her other friend,  
who apparently got wild on her last party,  
don't have a clue that she knows.  
…very interesting…_

What's with everyone carrying a rose today?  
Oh right… it's the rosogram day and my class is getting their delivery of roses…  
and everyone's getting one…  
…I could so barf right now…

Can we please get on with some studying please?  
That's what we really come to school for…  
  
Mr. Simpson: Kendra, you have thirty seconds to finish up with those.  
_  
Thank you._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It turned out that Sean was in our 'shop' class…  
… a transferee from Wasaga.  
He obviously knew a lot about cars and even taught Towerz a thing or two…  
…righty tighty…lefty loosy…

I could tell that he was definitely a bad ass and  
we could very well use him in our gang.  
When we'd busted the vending machine,  
he'd seen us and hadn't report us.  
But when Raditch warned Sean,   
assuming that he was the one responsible for breaking the vending machine,  
Sean fought with Jay in front of the whole school,  
earning them both a detention for it.  
One good thing that came out of all of this was that  
it facilitated us becoming friends with Sean.

Seriously though, they were just chocolate bars…  
and we only stole them for the rush anyway…  
I don't get why Raditch was creating such a big fuss over this.

Sean offered to help Jay with fixing his car  
and we returned the favor by helping him assess his relationship with 'the cause girl';

Trying to bridge the gap,  
We'd offered him to come with us for a drive during lunch.  
The cause girl, on the other hand, had asked him to clean the ravine with her…  
… the northeast slope to be exact.  
Is she for real?

When asked by Jay what he'd seen in Emma,  
he'd replied by saying that he couldn't even remember  
as all she was now was an uptight girl who was 'flat as a board'…  
and who thought that he was pathetic to be friends with losers like us.

Eventually, Sean became an accomplice and  
helped Jay get some electronics from school  
to fund his car's cap back system.  
It wasn't long before Amy and Sean became an item.  
**  
------------------------------------------------------- TBC  
Appreciate if you review.  
If you like, say so…  
If don't like and want changes… say so  
Next chapter I don't know yet... u'r welcome to give suggestions.**


	36. Chapter 36: The Mystery

**A/N: references from actual episodes of S3 with some of my own imagination and explanations about what readers wanted me to explain.  
thanks to all those who r&r.**

**POV: Alex**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi or any of its characters, just this fic, so don't sue me.  
-------------------------------------------**

**Chapter 36: The Mystery **

_The school and work were beginning to take a toll on me and  
some unconventional time off of school was not too much to ask for;  
so when I heard of the flu going around,  
I decided to take full advantage of the situation._

_I had pulled this stunt before in my other school during times of a flu spread  
and had much experience in making it very believable.  
All it took was a couple of visits to the school nurse during morning classes  
and I got myself, a much in demand, sick note from her.  
I usually relied on writing myself sick notes  
but chances of getting caught with those, increased immensely._

_It was only during the afternoon of my very first day off of school  
that I realized that I had gotten myself too much extra time with  
nothing to actually do during it.  
So I ended up taking the morning shift at the theatre for the rest of the week  
which was definitely a downside of taking time off of school,  
not that I'm complaining… they pay good money._

_Among others were finding out…  
that Amy had dumped Sean after only two weeks of dating him.  
Amy informed me of this, that very same night, at the theatre…_

_I knew that Amy had made a mistake but  
it wasn't my place to tell her that and  
besides the damage had already been done.  
Sean had grown on me and his reserved demeanor,  
had gotten him a soft corner at least from my side._

_…or that Ellie had been hurting herself and  
I had no clue about it;  
which later turned out to be a reason for creating turbulence in our friendship._

_The Ellie situation was a bit different from Amy's…  
Ellie wrote for the school paper 'the grapevine' and  
was applying for some reporter job on TV with Caitlin Ryan._

_That's when I got the flu… well, supposedly,  
and didn't get to see her for a while._

_Ellie called me during that time to tell me that she'd gotten the reporter job  
despite the tough competition from the cheerleader,  
who went as low as to spill juice on Ellie's clothes to ruin her interview.  
…another reason for me to not like the princess._

_When I started coming back to school,  
I found out that Ellie wasn't coming to school for a couple of days and  
was seeking help for some personal problems.  
Later Amy told me that someone had told her that Ellie was cutting herself.  
I called her that night to talk about it but after not getting a clear answer from her,  
I took it as a sign that she didn't want to talk about it;  
respecting that… I didn't pressure her and we left the issue at that._

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_It was my third day back at school after the 'flu vacation' I took.  
During lunch time, when I was answering the nature's call in the girls' washroom,  
I heard someone knock in the stall nearby…  
_**  
Girl: Paige…  
Paige: Yeah Sure Hun, there u go. **  
_Paige actually helping somebody, that's a first_  
**You know if we had a female custodian who did that...**  
_  
there she goes again with her banter…  
this girl definitely worked on batteries…  
I was done and was about to come out of the stall but  
the other girl's voice told me otherwise.  
_  
**Girl: Paige**  
_She said in a lower voice than before which was full of worry…  
I could sense that she wanted to talk about something important.  
Why couldn't Paige see that?  
I knew I would regret it later but my curiosity took the best of me at the time.  
_  
**Paige: k, you're welcome already**  
_Would you just shut it for a sec and listen to the girl…_

**Girl: How do I know if a guy… if he used a condom?**_  
She'd asked nervously._

_What the hell?  
I condemned myself for not leaving the stall earlier when I could.  
Leaving now involved the risk of them knowing that I'd heard the girl's secret...  
a girl I hadn't even recognized yet,  
but was feeling sorry for her all the same…  
…not as much for her being in this situation,  
than for her having to turn to this ruthless and  
self absorbed cheerleader for advice._

_I decided that it was safer to just stay in for now  
and avoid the whole confrontation,  
especially from Paige._

_As much as I knew her by now,  
she surely would convict me of deliberately hiding in the stall  
…eavesdropping on what they were talking about.  
May be she'll even spread around rumors about me,  
being a 'pathetic creep' who hides in washrooms so  
she can listen into other people's conversations._

_Just yesterday, I had heard her scolding Terri about her boyfriend…  
the girl didn't know anything about boundaries  
and about not interfering in her friend's personal lives.  
According to Jay, name calling was a very usual habit of hers…  
I guess that's why people tried to remain in her good books…  
I personally thought it wasn't a good enough reason…  
heck, she could call me as many names as she wanted…  
and see if I cared…_

_As far as this washroom situation was concerned,  
I knew anything could be expected from her.  
The scary part was that people would actually believe it too as  
her words strangely carried a lot more weight than one would expect.  
She was after all 'the Queen of Degrassi'  
who had the school wrapped around her fingers,  
students and teachers alike._

_No one should be given so much power over others  
but considering my own compromised circumstance at the moment…  
okay, this is when I'm kicking myself in my head for  
not escaping from the washroom earlier when I had the chance._

_I'd been well briefed on Paige's jurisdiction by Amy and Ellie…  
Her indisputable authority was accepted unconditionally by everyone  
and persisted despite silent objections by a few of her 'victims'._

_Truth is that she carried undeniable powers of turning me into  
a total social outcast with just one swing of her finger or a nod of her head.  
I don't care about what people think about me… okay I do a little…  
and if I have to confront her,  
I will be smart about choosing my moments…  
And this is not one of those moments._

_There…  
I've very tactfully talked myself out of dealing with something…that scares me…  
It's an art that has taken me a long time to master but now I'm almost perfect at it. _  
**  
Paige: What? Well, were u there? It'd been just be a tiny bit obvious...**  
_  
It was apparent that the girl had chosen the princess for a reason…  
most likely due to her probable expertise in the field …  
but it took guts to ask someone such a personal question and  
all that the princess prissy could do was humiliate her._

_The stall door opened…the girls were now probably face to face…  
_**  
Paige: Oh no, you're serious?  
Well, did you like hear him open it or even feel it may be?**  
_  
She wasn't pretending to be concerned, she really was…  
I could tell by the faint sighs, sudden change of her breathing pattern and  
an apparent panic in her voice.  
_**  
Girl: I don't know, I don't think so.**

**Paige: Well… okay... it's okay. **_  
She was trying to comfort the girl…_**  
If you're talking about who I think you're talking about, then I'm sure you're fine.  
He seems like the semi-responsible type.**_  
There was no doubt in her sincerity …  
And her up to date knowledge on the whereabouts of the school.  
I can almost see her gossiping with Marco… disgusting  
_**  
Girl: Promise you won't tell anyone, okay?**

**Paige: Of course not. ** _  
genuinely keeping a secret to protect a friend's reputation, that's almost inspiring…_  
**But to be sure, you should really just ask him…**_  
And that's the most honest advice that anyone could give her…_**  
and Hun, remember, next time…  
Ask questions first… get naked later.**  
_  
Did she just switch back to being Satan?  
And I was so ready to give her a second chance  
thinking that there is some goodness in her after all._

_Why does she have to be like this…  
…this unpredictable …  
… this mysterious person…_

_she already proved me wrong twice today…  
one, when I thought that she didn't care about the other girl's problems…  
when in fact, she did.  
And second, when I thought that she felt the pain that the other girl was going through…  
And she told me …  
how horrible and heartless she can be by striking her when she was down.  
So I guess I can't really be blamed for being a little scared of her?_

_What am I doing all alone in the washroom…  
They've been gone for over two minutes…  
I better get out of this stall already…  
_**  
------------------------------------------------------- TBC  
Appreciate if you review.  
If you like, say so…  
If don't like and want changes… say so  
Next chapter I don't know yet.**


	37. Chapter 37: Friendships Renewed

**A/N: about Paige and Ellie**

POV: Paige

Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi or any of its characters, just this fic, so don't sue me.

--------------------------------------

Chapter 37: Friendships Renewed__

Sundays was my favorite day of the week for what it represented…  
… the day of rest…  
…and in my case…or any kid in high school…  
…it also meant the day to catch up with any due assignments of the week  
and of course… finish the homework.

We just had our family dinner without Dylan, who was out with his friends.  
Unlike me, his curfew had an extension of eleven o'clock for Sundays.

After finishing the last of my homework,  
I made a pile of the books on my work desk,  
sorting the ones I needed for tomorrow and put them in my bag.  
Having done with this, my thoughts drifted to Ellie,  
I picked up the phone and dialed Marco's number.  
As I listened to the phone ringing, I stretched on my bed.

Marco: Hi Paige  
Paige: Hi Hon.  
Marco: so what's up?  
Paige: just finished my homework and thought should check on you…  
Marco: thank you for this kind gesture Paige, now tell me what's really up?  
Paige: thanks for doubting my sincere intentions oh so dear friend… (acting hurt)  
Marco: are you pouting? (giggles)  
Paige: may be… (still hurt)  
Marco: okay… I'm very sorry Paige for doubting you…  
Paige: It's okay.  
Marco: okay then…  
Hey listen…thanks for what you did for Ellie.  
Paige: What? How'd you know about that?  
Marco: Ellie told me.  
Paige: well, it was nothing… that's what friends are for… right?  
Marco: yeah.  
Paige: How's she doing now?  
Marco: much better.  
Paige: good, she deserves it.  
Marco: yeah, she does.  
Paige: Now tell me how you and Dylan doing?  
Marco: I'm assuming you want the censored version…  
Paige: There are two versions? (acting shocked)  
Marco: Paige if you're gonna ask me questions like these,  
at least make sure you have the heart for it…  
Paige: okay my mistake. Alright give me the censored version.  
Marco: you ready for it?  
Paige: yeah and try to make the censored version even more cryptic…  
Marco: Well… we've been spending a lot of time together lately and you know…  
Paige: I don't …(confused)  
but question is…do I want to?  
Marco: well…you know we're just starting to know each other and I think he really  
likes me… and I think I'm falling for him too.  
Paige: That's great Hon. I'm so happy for both of you.   
Hey I just heard Dylan's car come in the driveway.   
Do you wanna talk to him?  
Marco: Yeah… I'll call him on his cell.  
Paige: okay, see you tomorrow then, in Simpson's class?  
Marco: yeah. Goodnight Paige.  
Paige: Goodnight Hon.__

Lying in my bed I thought about what Ellie had gone through this past week…

I had just casually walked into the washroom and had seen Ellie standing in front of the mirror…  
In my usual manner, I had thrown one of my snobbish lines at her…  
'Let me guess, your latest expose, the hygiene of Degrassi's bathrooms. '

And that's when I'd seen the blood in the sink…  
Ellie's hand was bleeding.   
She had cut herself…  
and was now lying to me by saying that she'd hit her arm…  
I'd followed her outside the school and confronted her …

'Why would you do that to yourself?  
Does it feel good or what?  
Look, I totally get that you don't want to talk to me.  
You need to talk to someone, like Ms. Sauvé, or...'

And she had told me to 'leave her alone like I normally do.'

'Was I that bad to her?  
Was she taking all my comments personally all this time?  
Did I have a hand in pushing her into doing what she was doing to herself?'  
An immense feeling of guilt had taken over me.  
Ellie was pushing me away when I wanted to help her because of how I treated her…

Despite her denial, I went to talk to Ms. Sauvé about her…  
I didn't care that she was going to be mad at me for this…

I don't know why she thought that I was doing it to get her co-op job…  
Did she really think I cared about that stupid job? More than I cared about her?  
Did she really think I was that shallow and so below mortal human standards?

Yes I did prepare for the co-op interview for that job.  
And I dressed up for it too…  
I wasn't even nervous even though I said I was…  
And why would I be, I didn't care about it that much anyway…  
The only reason I wanted that job was so I could prove that I could get it if I wanted to…  
I was so not interested in becoming a social issue reporter...  
I wasn't even aware that it was Ellie's dream job until Ashley told me that it was so…  
…after Ellie had gone to clean her shirt on which I'd accidentally spilled punch on.  
and as evil it may look, it was an accident.

Now I knew what Ellie thought of me,  
She thought I was pure evil…  
And I had never tried to change her thinking either…

That remark…  
…about Caitlin feeling sorry for Ellie and that's why she got the job…  
that was so mean of me…but…  
I was angry at the time for not getting the job…  
and so said the first thing that came to my head as part of my defense mechanism…  
I didn't think Ellie would take it seriously,  
All my friends know this much about me and my short temper…  
… and my brutal honesty …  
… and as much as it hurts sometimes,  
… its usually the harsh truth…  
… that no one would tell them …  
I don't know why I think it's my job to state the fact…  
I guess I will have to cut down on the brutal honesty from now on…

I regretted every bad comment I had thrown at her and  
every bad deed I had done to her whether intentional or accidental…  
I was going to make amends with her.

That day I had a long talk with her after school…  
And I told her what I really thought of her…

I envied that Ashley and Marco,  
two of my closest friends were friends with her and I wasn't.  
I envied the friendship she had with Marco and that's why  
I teased Ellie by my cruel remarks about her ex-boyfriend  
falling madly in love with my brother.

"Ellie, Hon, I thought vampires couldn't go out in the Sun"_  
… I was rude to Ellie as usual on the beach party we had in the summer…  
… the trip that became a high point in Marco's life…_

Marco hadn't come out but  
Dylan had a feeling that Marco was gay…  
Ellie had revealed that she and Marco had broken up…  
… and they were still friends…

Thinking about it now…  
I can't even imagine how hard that must've been for her to break up with a guy because he's gay and then remain friends with him…  
I envied the level of friendship they'd had that they could still be friends after going through a break up…

I had introduced Dylan and Marco to each other…  
And thought that I deserved credit for it…  
When in fact, it was Ellie who deserved the credit…  
She was the first person Marco had come out to…  
Ellie was a true friend…  
… she was so supportive of Marco…

I told her all this…  
and that I knew how hard it must've been …  
I knew because I'd dealt with it myself with Dylan.  
I told her how much I admired her for all this…  
I told her that Hazel thought that Marco and Ellie were 'soul mates'  
…and that I agreed with her.  
**  
------------------------------------------------------- TBC  
Appreciate if you review.  
If you like, say so…  
If don't like and want changes… say so  
Next chapter … a little bit more about friends in both Paige and Alex's povs.**  



	38. Chapter 38: True Love

**A/N: its the Canadian Thanksgiving today so I thought I should update. Here goes...**

POV: Paige and Alex

Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi or any of its characters, just this fic, so don't sue me.

----------------------------------

Chapter 38: True Love__

'go out of my way and be nicer to my friends…'  
…this was the deal I had made with myself.

Terri's new boyfriend Ricki had hit her and already  
Hazel and I had talked Terri out of that relationship…  
by putting some sense into her.  
No matter how much he claimed to be her true love,  
He wasn't and we all knew it.

I don't claim to know what true love is.  
In fact, I had no idea…  
I'd never been in love with someone like that…  
I know I like Spinner a lot…  
… and we do 'things' together'…  
He's definitely a good friend…  
But I don't see it getting to that emotional level for some reason…  
I feel that Spinner isn't ready, and neither am I.

I remember Craig moving here from Vancouver…  
I would have to agree with everyone who thought  
that he was the hottest guy of the school…  
The other day I saw Craig singing for Ash…

'Somethin' about the way you shine…  
When the lights go out, I wanna make you mine…  
Somethin' about the way it seems, you're always here in my dreams.  
When there's no one, there no one, I'm not scared,  
but I'm in love…with you.'

It sure sounded like that's what 'true love' should feel like…  
Craig sure knows how to put words together in a melody…  
I can totally imagine why Ashley has fallen for him.

Someone declaring their love like this…  
Putting their souls and feelings out for everyone to see...  
The vulnerability of it all…  
Disregarding the fear of rejection…  
I wondered if I would ever be able to do that…

One day it will happen to me too, but until then,  
I was happy for my friends who had found love…  
Marco…  
Hazel and Jimmy, a perfect couple.  
and Ash…

I was so happy for her…  
But then Manny came to me asking for advice…  
I figured it must be the song that Craig wrote for Ash  
that got Manny attracted to him as well…  
…ah, the causalities of that song…  
…She was right there in the gym with me.

I can't believe that Craig was bragging to Spinner  
about him going all the way with Ash on my birthday…

And Ash thinks… that Spinner is as pubertal as it gets?   
Think again Ash...  
'no, be nicer Paige …you're doing great Hon.'

I had to break the promise I made to Manny.  
I told Ash about the possibility of Craig getting Manny pregnant.  
Ash was so devastated and of course she broke up with Craig afterwards.  
This is what love gets you…  
… hurt and betrayal…

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

We were just hanging outside Degrassi at the time.  
I was leaning on Jay's car while the rest of them were working on  
nitro fueling for Jay's car for the drag race this weekend.  
I was equally excited about it and had taken Saturday morning off from work.

Sean: So Alex, Hi.__

Sean said as he wiped the sweat with a white towel which he tucked back in his jeans right after.  
I just gave him a nod in return and got back to  
looking at kids rushing out the front gates of Degrassi and hurrying home.

'What's with this guy today?  
This is the third time that he'd said 'Hi' to me in the past hour.  
The second time he said hi, I gave him the benefit of doubt that he had forgotten  
that he hi-ed me already but the third time is just plain weird.  
He better state his purpose soon, or I'm done playing cool.'  
  
Sean: How are things? _He said resting against the car beside me_

Alex: good. _ the less said, the better_

Sean: school? 

Alex: fine _ I kept gazing at Degrassi_

Sean: how'd you do on the shop test today?

Alex: how'd you think I did? _a well deserved 'A' after all the studying I did…_

Sean: and work? _ … he just 'had' to remind me of that, didn't he? _

Alex: that's good too. _I have Merri all wrapped around my little finger although,  
I should leave in half an hour if I wanna make it in time. _

It caught me attention when I saw Ellie coming out of the school… with Paige…  
what's she doing with her?  
…and they're actually having a conversation with each other?  
when did this 'turn of the tide' occurred and how'd I miss it?

Ellie always goes directly home after school and  
I'm not liking her making exceptions for Paige of all people.   
I should go to Ellie and find out what's happening…

…Paige had sensed someone looking at them and was now looking at us…  
But Sean interjected and spoke again…  
…'I guess going over to Ellie would just have to wait'.

Sean: Alex… there's something… I've been trying to ask you … _  
He said nervously, pausing frequently before finishing the sentence. _

Alex: okay. 

Sean: it's a personal thing…

Alex: what is it? _I said casually, trying to speed up the process a bit…_

Sean: I want you to know that I really appreciate you guys… you know… 

Alex: yeah. 

Sean: No seriously, I do. _he's stalling…_

Alex: great. _I tried to sound enthusiastic this time._ Is that what you wanted to talk about?

Sean: No… _he paused then he used his thumb to point first at himself and then at me_  
'us' …We are friends right? _I smiled at the innocence of his question_

Alex: yeah, we are Sean. 

Sean: so that means we can keep a secret, right? 

Alex: It depends on what the secret is? _but my smile told him that I was kidding_

Sean: Alex… I've been thinking a lot about this… _go on…_  
…I think that may be I should just ask the concerned person directly?

Alex: Hunh? _concerned person what? _

Sean: I mean… it makes sense doesn't it? __

Not to me, No.

Alex: I don't get it Sean… what are you talking about? __

What the hell is he talking about?

Sean: Well, you know … if it's better to talk directly to the person involved instead of asking others…  
_I think I'd just figured this all out...  
I was now staring at him with the most baffled expression on my face,  
two very raised eyebrows  
and some clue of what he was trying to say;_

Did Sean Cameron have a crush on me?  
Was 'this' what it was all about?  
No wonder he was so hesitant…

… how suicidal of him… Jay's standing right here…  
  
Alex: Are you high? _I was certain he was_

Sean: No?

_May be I should just remind him of Jay's presence…_

Alex: oh, was just wondering if Jay gave you some…   
_I realized…I needed a joint myself…_

Anyway, what were you saying Sean?

Sean: well… there's this girl… _there we go…_

Alex: okay. _Did I lead him on somehow? He knows I'm with Jay._

So this is what he was trying to tell me this whole time…  
He must be shyer than I thought he was.  
I now had taken out a joint from Jay's jacket and  
…taking advantage of the fact that there was no one around…  
…I lit it up…

taking a long drag, I reminded myself that I had to go to work afterwards  
so I passed the joint to Sean.  


Alex: So…?

Sean: … that's why I was asking you earlier… if I should talk to her…?

_  
Now you're making perfect sense, you back stabber…  
how can you do that to Jay?  
subconsciously, I'd looked over to Jay who was still working on the engine…  
_

Alex: yeah, I guess. 

Sean: yeah? well… you could've helped a little… _Is he saying what I think he's saying?_

I was officially creeped out but I somehow efficiently hid my panic.  
I had to revert his thoughts elsewhere…  
I didn't wanna know how he thought …I could've helped.  


Alex: is it Amy? 

Sean: No.  
_  
he's been hanging out with us a lot…  
may be that's the problem…  
May be he needs a distraction…?  
_  
Alex: 'green peace'?  
_  
I hated her even more now since the fight we had in the halls, the other day…  
but in this case, she could've easily been a savior…  
_  
Sean: no it's not Emma

Alex: then who is it?  
_  
I was seriously annoyed…  
just think of someone Sean… anyone besides me…  
_  
Sean: …I think she's with someone… _yeah, I've already established that much…_

There was sadness in his eyes which were looking at …  
…Paige and Ellie…

In fact, now that I think about it,  
he'd been looking at them this whole time…

Paige?  
Seriously?

He's doomed…  
he had more hope with me than he has with her…  
what am I thinking?

At least he'll get to live…  
…being her lap dog is a very small price to pay for your life…  
  
Alex: are you sure she's the one you like?   
_Was I disappointed...?   
_  
Sean: yeah, pretty sure…

Alex: then just tell her. _I'm pushing him off the cliff, some friend I am_

Sean: You think so?

Alex: yeah. What's the worst that can happen, right?   
_  
If she's not interested, she'll just mock you in front of the whole school,  
and that should kill all the dignity you have…  
besides, I'm sure she can find lots of creative ways of torturing you to death…  
you should've come to me earlier when there was still hope of …  
talking you out of ending your life this way Sean…  
_  
Sean: Thanks… _don't thank me, I don't deserve it…_

I punched him lightly on the arm in a friendly manner.   
Suddenly the fact that it wasn't me he'd fallen for, didn't give me much relief.  
I couldn't explain it… but a feeling of uneasiness stayed with me as  
I put my burgundy hood on and walked my way up to the park bench  
where Ellie and Paige were sitting...  
**  
------------------------------------------------------- TBC  
Appreciate if you review.  
If you like, say so…  
If don't like and want changes… say so  
Next chapter … paige alex confrontation is in order**


	39. Chapter 39: A Paradox

**Regarding Reviews: **okay so i got some review telling me to hurry things up and make them friends at least...  
let me just say that my story is not about that.. there have been many stories written on that topic already but mine is supposed to end there.  
so i'm not trying to make them friends in a hurry but to take it slow...  
if you don't like that... there's nothing i can do about that but suggest to you a read a different story...  
one that i can recommend just the top of my head is by a very admirable author Palexiot and their story 'Objectivity'...  
it starts with when they become a couple.  
that's all i have to say...  
and please don't write anon bad reviews without your emails bc then i can't answer you directly.  
that'll be all.**  
**

**A/N: ****wrote it in an hours so hope you like it still.  
consider it like the second part of the previous chapter...  
i think the Paige Alex confrontation was in order so here goes...**

**POV: Paige**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi or any of its characters, just this fic, so don't sue me.**

**-------------------------------------------------------------**

**Chapter 39: A Paradox**

_It was Friday afternoon.  
I took the necessary books out of my locker, stuffed them in my bag and hurried to make a rendezvous with her.  
I didn't want to lose her so I approached her locker from the east end…  
that way I could still make an interception with her if she were leaving the school…_

_As soon as I got to the beginning of the hallway, I saw her closing her locker…  
She was heading to the exit and as soon as our eyes met…  
an expression of recognition appeared on her face.  
I enthusiastically called her name._  
"Ellie"  
_  
She smiled and I smiled in return…  
I waited until she reached me and stopped two steps from me. _

"Everything alright, Paige?"  
"Everything's great Hon."  
"Let's walk together…" _I held her hand as I escorted her._  
"Are you walking home?"  
"Yeah."  
"Well… my mom's gonna pick me up in a few minutes…  
care to wait with me…  
we can give you a ride home after?"  
"No that's okay, I prefer to walk home, and it's really close by…"

_but then looking at my disappointed face…  
she changed her mind…_  
"…or I can wait with you until your ride comes..."  
"Great, Hon".  
"Let's go sit on that bench" _  
I said pointing at the bench outside the school building  
as we climbed down the stairs._

_I was about to sit down when  
I noticed a pair of eyes constantly assessing our every move…  
Looking in the probable direction from where we were being watched…  
I spotted 'her' standing by Jay's car with Sean._

_I usually don't care much about people like her but  
keeping tabs on everyone is an integral part of me  
maintaining my power in the school._

_To clarify, let me just say that I understand the importance of the statement …  
'Knowledge is power'.  
The more information you have… the better you can use it for your advantage._

_Besides, reminding everyone how bad they are,  
indirectly conveys how good you are than them,  
not that I'm 'that' kind of a person…  
…but it does work as an added collateral fix for me in the bigger scheme of things  
which doesn't hurt either._

_'so Sean is the new recruit.' what a waste.  
I bet she's having a training session with him right now on  
'how to kill people by the 'stare of death"._

_At least she's not smooching the 'gang lord' for once…  
gosh I hate their constant 'joined at the lips' PDA…  
continuously sucking on each others faces  
like some porno movie that we have to watch whether we like it or not…  
at the lockers, outside history class, and the caf…  
which is enough to kill our appetite for the rest of the week…  
and their 'hell with the rules' act  
its just lame…  
(no kissing in the hallway rule)_

_I tried to bring my focus back to Ellie…  
…who is a friend of her's…  
I can't imagine how anyone can remotely tolerate a person like Alex  
out of their own free will.  
And I definitely can't imagine how a soft and polite person like Ellie  
can even be friends with a cruel person like Alex…_

_someone who's constantly pushing and tripping people in the hallways,  
and then laughing at them… with no remorse…_

_someone who commits the biggest fashion crime  
by dressing up in the same color everyday …_

_someone who's constantly picking a fight with everyone and  
who recently gave Emma a black eye and is a total bad news …_

_…Its like Lucifer gave birth to an only child and that's Alex.  
I just know that associating with her can't be a good thing for anyone…  
and Ellie should stay as far away from her as possible…  
especially now that she has us as her friends._

"looks like someone had a long day Ellie?" _  
I commented, deducing by her weary composure_

"Yeah, some on location stuff in co-op today…"

"Hey, that's great Hon.

"Yeah great… but tiring."

"Oh I'm sure you'll recover over the weekend… speaking of which…  
I was wondering if you're free tomorrow…  
may be you and I can hang out…  
you know go to the mall or do something else?" _  
…I found Ellie searching my face almost questioning my plans._

_Sensing her insecurity, I pressed her hand with mine…  
reassuring her of both my sanity and the authenticity of my offer._

_Before Ellie could answer… the bad news herself was walking towards us…  
with her usual scowl stretched across her face._

_Soon she was standing in front of the bench…  
and her gaze was set on Ellie …  
…totally ignoring my existence…_

_Now that I had a better look at her…  
I realized she wasn't as half bad looking as I thought she was…_

_She had a fairly thin and lean figure to be the bad-ass that she was...  
She looked casual in her khaki pants and a maroon hooded sweatshirt …  
the maroon hood was now covering her head almost concealing her dark hair…  
accentuating her bright forehead…  
angled eyebrows,  
a well composed nose and,  
full tulip shaped lips with a shiny cinnamon lip gloss on them._

_Her 'innocent' face completely betrayed the devil that lived inside of her…  
…she was a paradox  
…a paradox of nature  
her blazing brown eyes were the only feature of hers that was remotely threatening…  
but currently… even they were singing a different tune…  
She addressed Ellie …  
_  
Alex: Hey Nash  
Ellie: Hi Alex  
Alex: what are you doing?  
Ellie: nothing… just talking to Paige…

Alex: not to interrupt you or anything…  
but would you like me to walk you home?_  
that was very polite of hers_

Ellie: no Alex, I'm gonna stay here till Paige's ride gets here…

Alex: why? you always go home directly from school…  
you don't have to stay on 'her' account.  
_  
She spoke in a matter of factly way…  
saying the last part with giving me a cold glare._

_And what's with talking about me in the third person when I'm sitting right here…  
She had turned back into the rude monster again.  
But since I wasn't looking for a fight especially in front of Ellie, I spoke civilly._

Paige: That's okay Hon… If you have to go…  
I'll call you tonight about tomorrow…

Alex: yeah? what's tomorrow? _  
She was asking Ellie._

_She had gone too far and needed to be corrected…  
_Paige: That's none of your business…

Alex: Yes it is if you're talking to my friend.

Paige: no its not.  
_  
Ignoring my answer, she spoke to Ellie_

Alex: Nash… what's tomorrow?

Ellie: it's okay Alex… Paige just wanted to hang out with me.  
She had Ellie totally under her control

Alex: Tell her 'No'…  
And that you have other plans than to hang out with a stuck up cheerleader…

Paige: Why don't you let Ellie speak for herself…  
_wait…What did she just call me?_  
and hey...What did you just called me?

Alex: I called you what everyone else calls you…  
Now Nash! we're leaving…_  
She had grabbed Ellie's hand and was pulling her up from the bench_

Paige: why don't you go back to your dope smoking and let Ellie be…_  
Oh yes… I had totally seen her smoking pot and she thought no one was looking…_

_Her expression had suddenly changed into anger…  
I knew I had overstepped the line and anything could be expected from her now  
but Ellie was here and she was pretty much neutral… right?_

_Subconsciously I had held Ellie's hand and sensing my fears,  
Ellie stood up immediately and turned towards Alex …  
_  
Ellie: Alex, its okay… you know that's a good idea…  
let's walk home and then you can go to work from there…  
_  
worry? She was worried for Ellie because of me? Why?  
And what was that Ellie said…Alex works?_

_…a Paradox… contradiction, absurdity, illogicality…  
nothing is what it seems with her, is it?  
…except that it's confirmed that 'she hates me'.  
_  
Alex: hey princess… she's talking to me now  
If I found out that you and your friends mistreated Nash in anyway,  
I'll personally make you accountable for it._  
a threat…with her same blistering eyes…and the 'stare of death'  
_  
Ellie: Paige… I'm sorry…I gotta go…  
we'll talk later… some other time...?"_  
she pleaded me with her eyes to not say anything and  
literally ran to walk alongside the resident bully._

**------------------------------------------------------- TBC**

**Appreciate if you review.  
If you like, say so…  
If don't like and want changes… say so  
Next chapter … u tell me...**


	40. Chapter 40: Double Date

**A/N: reference to last few episodes of S3.  
thanks for the suggestions about what needs clearing up etc... and i'm working on it...  
so keep those coming.**

POV: Paige and Alex bc i know you guys like it that way.

Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi or any of its characters, just this fic, so don't sue me.  
but its the same disclaimer i've been using for all my 39 chaps and if you wanna sue me for that... go ahead.

---------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 40: Double Date__

Ellie and I were walking to her house…

Ellie: Ok, what was that about?  
Alex: What?  
Ellie: that… you all over protective, threatening, crazy person…that…  
_She sure was being over dramatic considering I didn't even touch the prude-head.  
_  
Alex: Come on Nash, you know what kind of person she is…  
Ellie: tell me… what kind?  
Alex: The popular kind…the kind that becomes your friend but splits as soon as she doesn't need you.

Ellie: Well… Paige isn't like that…  
Alex: I'm sure that she has you believed that she isn't.  
Ellie: No really Alex… she isn't… she's very nice…  
Alex: is this your queer friend Marco talking?  
You know he's the same kind, don't you?

_There was a moment of silence between us…_  
Alex: Ellie?  
Ellie: She helped me Alex… when I was in trouble… she helped me through it.  
_  
Her declaration caught me by surprise.  
Were we even talking about the same Paige here?  
Because the Paige I knew was the one who told Ashley about Manny and Craig when I specifically heard Manny pleading to her not to tell anyone about her condom incident in the bathroom and her promising not to.  
And when Ashley announced to everyone in the caf that they were pregnant…  
The laughter that sprung in the caf when all eyes were at Manny and Craig…  
Paige was the mole…  
_  
Ellie: You know not everyone is bad … some people might actually be nice.  
Alex: anyway… I know how she feels about someone like me…  
Ellie: and have you given her a choice?  
_What? and risk damaging my reputation by being nice to a cheerleader…_

Alex: so… you were actually considering hanging out with her?  
Ellie: I've hung out with her before…  
Alex: yeah but…  
Ellie: don't worry Alex… tomorrow… I've to be at Degrassi…  
Alex: tomorrow's a Saturday you dork.  
_I chuckled_  
Ellie: yeah I know… tomorrow, the detention room awaits me.  
_That was amusing news… Ellie Nash had a detention on Saturday…_

Alex: you got a detention tomorrow? For what?  
Ellie: for being late a few times…  
Alex: well, that makes two of us… I'm late for work…  
I gotta run Nash. Bye.

_-----------------------next week--------------------_

Ellie told me that 'the Saturday detention' brought Sean and her together… God sure works in mysterious ways…

Amy apparently had rejuvenated feelings for Sean and totally hated this whole setup with Ellie and Sean.  
I just told her to get over it since it was she who broke it off with Sean in the first place.  
I don't know why she's behaving like a child who wants a toy just because they can't have it …

Ellie and Sean … an item…now who would've thought of that happening?  
And I thought Sean and that Paige…  
now who in their right mind would ever wanna date her…  
high maintenance bitch… dating her must be a torture…  
just the thought made me giggle…  
no wonder she dates that pumpkin head…  
I'm just happy for Sean and Ellie for more than one reason.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Hazel, Spinner and I were walking to the school when a car stopped near us and we heard Marco calling us…   
"Guys, guys…check it out okay...  
_we stopped and turned as Marco came out holding a poster in his hand_  
It's the poster for the semi-formal  
Watch… hunh…  
It's themed on those movie musicals from India…  
So hot right now"  
_I shrugged my shoulder and looked at both Haze and Spin not sure of what to say to Marco… but Spin couldn't resist…_  
"Yeah if you're big flaming …"  
_Spinner stopped as he saw Marco's dad coming out of the car._  
"… Mr. Del Rossi… what are you doing at our school on this fine morning?"  
_  
Apparently Marco and Ellie had designed the theme poster for the semi-formal with both of their pictures on it… which was cute…  
As Marco's dad left, Marco started walking with us…_

Paige: so any plans after school?  
Marco: I'm going out with Ellie?  
Paige: still working on the semi-formal?  
Marco: no we're going to watch a movie…  
Paige: But didn't you guys go there last Saturday?  
Hon, you are still gay right?

Marco: Yes Paige, I'm still gay. It's just that Ellie wants Sean and me to get along…  
Paige: you and Sean? I don't get it? Is Sean too…, you know?  
_I shrugged to let Marco use his prediction skills to finish the rest of my sentence_

Marco: No, Paige no.   
_Marco looked shocked by the thought…  
But soon the shock on his face had turned into a know-it-all grin…_  
Wait, you seriously don't know this? 

Paige: know what? _…I'm really falling behind on the gossip thing… aren't I?_  
Marco: Listen to this… Sean and Ellie are dating!   
_He'd said it with all the excitement but still kept his voice soft enough so no one else would hear it._

Paige: Sean and Ellie are dating? What? When did this happen?  
Marco: last week. They even double dated with Jay and Alex;  
and don't ask me how I know.   
_He looked a little embarrassed so I didn't push it._

Paige: Hmmm.   
_Great …  
First Terri ends up in the hospital and now I'm finding out that  
my friends are double dating with Jay and Alex!  
What is this school coming down to?   
rest of the way to my first class, I thought about Ellie being Sean's girlfriend…  
now that I think about it…Sean did kept staring at us the whole time that we were sitting outside Degrassi, the other day …  
…now that I think about it, it did make sense…_

-------------------------------------------------------------

Jay and I double dated with Ellie and Sean which was pretty awkward as most double dates are.   
The theater was jam packed and to add to the awkwardness...  
Ellie brought her gay friend along which pretty much ruined it for everyone.

Sean and Ellie's relationship did survive the gay attack and  
Sean was doing well in his own apartment.  
We were happy because now our gang had a new hang out place… his house…

But then Jay's friendship with Sean got ruined when Amy got alcohol poisoned and paramedics had to come and take her to the hospital…  
I'm just glad she's okay now.  
After that there were no more parties in Sean's house  
Neither with us nor with the Montréal crew…  
We still talked to Sean but it just wasn't the same.  
**  
---------------------------------------------------------------**

Let me know how i'm doing... so please Review.  
If you like, say so…  
If don't like and want changes… say so  
Next chapter … so i wanted to do a detention chapter bc i find them so interesting but it's been done so many times that i dont wanna get into that... any other ideas?? 


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